Crazed
by saiken2009
Summary: What happens when the boys have a crazed fan? The boys enroll in a national competition to get a chance at fame and fortune and they meet old friends, new friends, and some crazy fans. Rated M for sexual situations, violence and language. Dedicated to BluCrayons.
1. Contest

Author's Note: This story is dedicated to BluCrayons who asked for it. Hope you like it, sweetie! :D As always, please read and review!

Chapter 1: Contest

Micky lay in the hammock inside their Pad, stomach gurgling with hungry. He hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon when the group of struggling musicians had finished off the last of their bread and jelly. Davy was idly playing with his tambourine, Peter was watching TV and Mike was thumbing through the newspaper with the hope he'd find a job for them. Until then, their pantries would remain bare.

"I'm starving," Davy muttered.

"We're all starving, Davy," Mike answered idly. "But there's no food left and we're out of money, so we don't have much of an option."

"Is there anything in the paper for us?" Micky asked.

"Not really," Mike said. "There's a gig posting, but it's for a female group."

"I'm not doing that again," Davy said quickly.

"No one said you'd have to," Peter smiled. "It's for a group. That would mean we'd all have to dress up as girls. And you and Micky can pull it off, but not me and Mike."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not," Micky laughed. "But I'll agree that you don't look half bad. Mike's sideburns would give him away. He'd have to shave them."

"Not a chance in hell," Mike said turning the page.

"So we're screwed," Davy said.

"Well, we could get regular jobs," Mike said. "Go talk to Pops again down at the restaurant. See if he needs any waiters or anything."

"Great, so let's go down there now," Micky said remembering how he'd made them spaghetti last time.

"Hey, hold up," Peter said waving them around the TV. Micky, Davy and Mike walked over and watched the ad appearing on the screen. A very excited young man was on the television talking about a music competition to be held in a month. The winner would receive a $150,000. The second and third place winners would receive $75,000 and $50,000 respectively. The winner would also get the chance to sign a lucrative recording contract.

"That's a lot of money," Davy breathed. "Imagine how much food we can buy with that?"

"He said we need a company to sponsor us," Mike pointed out killing both Micky's and Davy's spirit a little.

"We know plenty of companies!" Peter exclaimed. "How hard could it be to get one of them to sponsor us?"

"We can't just go ask them," Mike said.

"Why not?" Peter asked. "That's a lot of money, Mike."

"Think of what we would do with that kind of money," Micky agreed. "We could get a better house and a new car and feed ourselves for a year or more! That's more money than most people earn in 20 years!"

"And forget working for a buck fifty an hour, we wouldn't have to work again for a long time!" Davy added.

"Cause they'd have to pay our entry fee," Mike said. "That's what's sponsoring means. And we can't just ask someone to do that. It just isn't right. If we don't win, they'll lose that money."

"Come on, Mike," Micky said. "Lots of people are doing it. That's why there are so many entries. Please, Mike?"

"I'm starving and we need food," Davy said. "And I think we're good enough to take top prize. Please, Mike?"

"If not the second or third," Peter said. "Come on, Mike, what's the harm in asking? They're our friends." Mike appeared to think it over, but three pleading eyes finally broke him. He sighed and rolled his eyes in defeat.

"Alright, who did you guys have in mind exactly?" Mike asked.

"Why don't we as Pop?" Micky asked. "While we ask him for jobs."

"Yes, let's ask a man to not only support us in a band contest, but give us money, too," Mike said dryly.

"Not give us money," Peter said innocently. "We'll work for it."

"What about the circus?" Davy asked.

"They're still struggling to pay their employees," Mike answered. "No."

"We messed up with that answering service, so I doubt they'd help us," Micky said sinking into a chair in despair as he realized they might not be able to do this.

"We could ask Mr. Crumpets," Davy suggested.

"Didn't he go back to England?" Mike asked.

"Right, but we could still ask," Davy said.

"What about Pop Harper and Mr. Guggins?" Peter suggested.

"That could be a good idea," Mike agreed. "Alright, we'll head over there in the morning. For now let's head out and try and get some food money." Mike and the others drove down to Pop's Italian Restaurant and found it very busy. Pop was happy to see the boys and asked them to help out. He'd told them that a few of his employees had quit after word got out that the mob had taken over the place a few years back. Even though Pop had assured them that the men were either in jail or all dead, thanks to the Monkees, they were still spooked and quit last minute. The boys said they were more than happy to help out since they needed money anyway.

Peter worked in the back as dishwasher, Davy and Micky worked as waiters, and Mike worked as a busboy. At the end of the day, Pop made them a huge plate of spaghetti, which they devoured within only a few moments. Pop laughed and gave them advance checks for their night on top of their split tips. He told them to come back and he'd hire them again. They weren't the worlds best waiters, bussers and dishwashers, but Pop knew they worked well enough in a pinch. So he'd hire them until he found someone better. A deal that worked out for all of them. If they were going to win that competition, they'd need to devote as much time as possible to practicing.

* * *

The next day, Micky and the others were waiting outside Mr. Guggins office. They'd requested to have a few words with him and were told he was in an important meeting but they could wait. Mike had stopped and picked up a pamphlet of more information on the contest and was now flipping through it.

"This is a national competition," Mike said.

"What?" Davy asked. "I thought it was just California."

"I can see it with that much prize money at stake," Micky said. "Do we have to travel for it?"

"No," Mike said. "Finals will be held in L.A. Luckily for us. But the other contestants compete in their states and the finalists travel here."

"That's a lot more people to compete with," Peter said worriedly.

"I don't care," Davy said smugly. "I think we're good enough."

"I don't know, Davy," Mike said cautiously. "That's a lot of bands. One from each state and that's just from the finals alone. We still have to make it to the finals."

"Mr. Guggins will see you now," a blonde lady said before anyone could say anything else.

"No turning back now, Mike," Micky said. "We're here. We might as well ask."

"Alright," Mike sighed and followed the boys into Mr. Guggins office.

"So lovely to see you again boys!" Mr. Guggins greeted him with a large smile. The first time Mike had met him, he had been such a meek and depressed man. Now he was confident and exuberant.

"Thank you for seeing us, Mr. Guggins," Mike said.

"Any time, boys," Mr. Guggins said slapping Mike on the back with a hearty handshake. "You boys saved my toy factory. So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, you see, Mr. Guggins, there's this band competition," Mike started. "It's a national competition and the winner gets a lot of money and a chance at a recording contract. But we need a business to sponsor us in order to enter."

"I see," Mr. Guggins said. "Well, I don't think I've ever heard you boys play. It would love to help invest in you boys, but I would like to know if you're any good first."

"We're amazing," Davy said.

"Calm down, Tiny," Mike said. "If you don't want to, we understand. Thank you for your time."

"Well, hold on there, Mr. Nesmith," Mr. Guggins said. "I didn't say no. I just said I wanted to hear you first. Can you play something for me?"

"Now?" Micky asked. "We don't have our instruments."

"Ok, then come back tonight," Mr. Guggins said. "I have a party I'm hosting for a few of the children. Launching a brand new toy. You can play at the celebration. How's that?"

"That's kind of short notice," Mike mumbled.

"But we can do it," Micky said quickly before Mike shot the chance down.

"Great," Mr. Guggins smiled. "Be back here at 8!"

* * *

Later that night, the boys had brought their instruments back to the toy factory and waited to be told where they'd be performing. Micky was buzzing with excitement. He really was looking forward to this contest. If they won, not only would they win a ton of money, but this could really be their big break. Even though a lot was riding on their performance tonight, he wasn't nervous. He had no doubt they were good enough.

"Boys!" Mr. Guggins said exuberantly coming out to greet them. "I'm so happy to see you! Come, come. I'll show you to the stage I set up." Micky and the others followed Mr. Guggins through the factory to an outside staging area. Micky set up his drums as the kids were led outside by Pop Harper, who smiled and waved at them. Once they were ready, Mr. Guggins introduced them and they launched into a set of some of their normal songs. The kids loved the music and even some of the parents started dancing around with their kids. Off in the wings Mr. Guggins and Pop Harper danced along to "Let's Dance On" with smiles on their faces. Micky knew they had it in the bag.

"That was fantastic!" Mr. Guggins said bouncing over to them at the end of their set. Pop Harper led the children and their parents toward the exit. "Just tell me what I have to do, and you boys have my full sponsorship! I don't care the cost!"

"Really?" Mike asked startled.

"Of course, my boy," Mr. Guggins laughed and slapped Mike on the back again. "I've never heard anything so great! And I owe you for saving my factory."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Guggins," Mike said with a smile.

"We better get practicing," Peter said. "Refine everything. The contest starts in a few months. In between our shifts anyway."

"Are you boys working?" Mr. Guggins asked.

"We have to pay for food somehow," Micky said.

"Well how about we make this a weekly thing," Mr. Guggins said. "I hold weekly toy tests like the one you boys sabotaged. I think it might be nice to have a party like this afterwards for the kids. I'll pay you a weekly stipend. That way you can devote the rest of your time to practicing."

"That sounds great, Mr. Guggins," Mike said. "But we're helping out an old friend at his restaurant. It should only be temporary, though. But we'll be happy to take you up on your offer once he doesn't need us anymore."

"Just give me a call," Mr. Guggins smiled.

"Sure thing," Mike said. It only took a week for Pop to find replacements at the restaurant. Pop felt bad about letting the boys go, but Mike told him they had a promise of a short standing gig at the toy factory. They finally had a good supply of food in the house thanks to Mr. Guggins giving them an advance on the pay he promised them to perform at the toy factory.

They practiced daily, refining their songs and picking songs they'd be playing at the competition. The first round allowed for a 3 song set; the competition called for at least one dance tune and one ballad. Mr. Guggins paid their admission fee into the contest and made sure they had extra strings for their guitars and anything else they needed. It felt good to know Mr. Guggins had such faith in them.

When it finally came time to perform at the first round of the competition a few months later, Micky and the others found themselves waiting in a large auditorium with dozens of other bands. They listened to each band perform and Micky finally felt nervous. All the other bands sounded amazing. They were up against some pretty good competition. Pop Harper and Mr. Guggins were both there supporting the boys as it came time for them to perform. They were introduced and launched into their chosen set list; they started with "Goin Down" to show Micky's energy, followed by "Shades of Gray" for their ballad piece and ending with "Sweet Young Thing".

Micky thought their set was performed flawlessly, but couldn't help but feeling nervous as the rest of the groups auditioned. It took several hours for all the bands to play and another hour for the judges to announce they had their top five winners. Those top five would go on to round two, where they would compete against the top five for the other major cities in California. Round two would weed the competitors down to a total of a top ten. Round three would pick the winner that would go to the finals representing California. The finals had two stages as well; round one would narrow it to 10 finalists and round two would pick the final winner.

So as the judges got on stage to announce the five winners, Micky's nerves were firing on full blast. They had a lot of stages to go through to win and there was a lot riding on it. If they were eliminated in round one after Mr. Guggins had put so much money and faith into them, he'd be humiliated. The judge thanked all the bands for their performances and hard work before reading the list of the selected bands. He announced the top four bands and with each name that wasn't theirs, Micky's stomach dropped a little more. Finally, the last name was called: the Monkees.

Davy, Peter, and Micky jumped up and shouted happily and hugged each other and Mr. Guggins and Pop Harper. Mike sat and smiled, partly because he rarely showing that much excitement and partly because he knew what Micky was still thinking. They had made it past round one, but they still had a very long road ahead of them to win.


	2. Old Friends

Author's Note: Thanks to BluCrayons, my beta and who this story is for. And yes, the antics in here are ones either done by my family, me or her. :D

Chapter 2: Old Friends

It took a week for the boys to compete in the second round of the competition. Mike was extremely nervous as they performed 3 different songs for round two: "I Wanna be Free", "Papa Gene's Blues", and "No Time". The judges seemed to love them and Mike was thrilled when their name was yet again called among the winners of that round. Once again, Davy, Micky and Peter celebrated by jumping up and down with Mr. Guggins and Pop Harper, who hadn't missed any of their performances.

Another week later they were preparing for the final round; the round that would determine who the champion of California would be; who would go up against the winners across the rest of the country. They picked some of their best songs for the third and final round, knowing the bands they were going up against were really, really good. Winning this round would be a miracle. They finally decided on "Randy Scouse Git", "Carlisle Wheeling", and "Daydream Believer". Mike nearly passed out from nervously holding his breath as the judge announced the winner. Third place: not them. Second place: not them. First place...The Monkees.

Mike almost couldn't believe his ears. It took Micky nearly knocking him over with elation to snap into reality. They'd won. They were going to compete in the finals. It was like a dream come true. Mike didn't want to get his hopes up, but as he saw them getting closer and closer to that money and recording contract he couldn't help but be filled with excitement and hope. Were his dreams finally coming true? Would he finally be a major household name? With people chasing him down the street screaming his name like they did the Beatles?

"We won!" Peter exclaimed as they dragged the still somewhat stunned Mike on stage to accept their congratulatory handshake from the judges.

"Please tell me this isn't a dream," Davy muttered softly as they walked back stage, still jumping in elation. Mike was about to say something, but Davy yelped out in pain for a second. He turned to Micky with a slightly annoyed look. "You pinched me! What did you do that for!?"

"To tell you that you weren't dreaming of course," Micky smiled.

"Micky, don't pinch him," Mike laughed.

"Come on, Mike," Micky said shaking Mike. "Show some excitement for once in your life! We won!"

"We won this round," Mike answered. "We haven't won the whole thing."

"Yet," Peter smiled.

"Don't get too excited," Mike cautioned. He didn't want his friends to get their hopes too high. The chances of them winning were slim and his friends would be devastated if they lost. "We still have a few more rounds to go."

"I know, but we made it this far!" Peter exclaimed bouncing like a little child.

"Cool it, Peter," Mike chuckled. He did like seeing his friends this happy; he just didn't want to see how disappointed they'd be if they lost. Davy, Peter and Micky were overjoyed the whole rest of the week as they prepared for the final round of the competition. They chose this time some more recent songs, "Nine Times Blue", "All of Your Toys" and "As We Go Along", and hoped they were good enough for the competition. As they waited in the wings for them to be called, Mike heard something behind him.

"Hi, Shotgun," a soft voice said behind him. Mike and the other Monkees turned around to see who was talking to them. Mike instantly smiled as he recognized the beautiful girl standing before him. She had long brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. She was also several inches shorter than Davy. She wore a bright green dress that hugged her body perfectly. She somehow looked so much more beautiful than when he'd last seen her.

"Valerie?!" Mike asked in shock.

"The one and only," Valerie answered laughing. "Or not, cause I'm sure Valerie is kinda a common name."

"What are you doing here?!" Mike asked after he pulled her into his arms giving her a hug.

"Same thing as you, I'd guess," Valerie said waving a pair of drumsticks in her hands he hadn't seen at first. "I'm in the competition. Representing New Jersey."

"New Jersey?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, dad settled in New Jersey a few years ago," Valerie said. "I followed him."

"Hi, I'm Micky," Micky said throwing his hand out and introducing himself. Mike blushed forgetting that was probably what he was supposed to have done.

"Oh, sorry," Mike said. "Valerie, these are my friends and bandmates, Peter, Davy and Micky. Guys this is Valerie. We grew up together. Then she ran off to be a famous drummer in New York."

"Yeah, that didn't work out too well," Valerie said. "Ended up broke and homeless so I went back to Dad's house for a while."

"Wow," Mike said. "It's been way too long. 4 years. You've grown up a lot. Well, maybe not "up"."

"Har har," Valerie laughed. "I'm not that short."

"You're shorter than Davy," Micky laughed. "And we weren't sure that was even possible."

"Hey!" Davy exclaimed defensively, but everyone else laughed.

"So you have a band now?" Mike asked changing the subject.

"Sorta," Valerie laughed. "Ginny's fiance is a band manager. He was managing her and a few of her new friends from college, but their drummer backed down. She suggested me last minute."

"Oh, I remember her," Mike said. "Sweet girl. She's engaged?"

"Yeah," Valerie answered as another girl walked toward them. "Not long though."

"Hi, Mike," the other girl said. She was wearing a purple dress and had long curly red hair with bright green eyes. What bothered him, however, was a dark bruise on her cheek.

"Hi, Ginny, what happened?" Mike asked.

"Nothing," Ginny answered. "I walked into a door. You know how much of a klutz I always am."

"Oh," Mike answered. He knew she was kind of a klutz, she'd nearly chopped off her finger in the kitchen once, but something told him she was lying. But he decided not to press it for now. "Guys, this is Virginia. But everyone calls her Ginny. These are my friends and bandmates, Micky, Peter, and Davy."

"Hello," Ginny waved at his friends. "Sebastian wants us to get ready."

"Ok," Valerie said eyeing her friend suspiciously. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah," Ginny answered quickly. "Just wants us to be extra sure we're ready."

"Good luck, Mike," Valerie said with a smile and hug before turning to follow her friend.

"Yeah, good luck," Mike answered.

"She's pretty," Micky commented.

"She's not pretty, she's stunning," Davy whispered.

"Yeah, she is," Mike muttered. He had noticed that she was beautiful before, but for some reason, he'd never noticed just how beautiful.

"So you guys were friends?" Micky asked winking a little at Mike.

"Yes," Mike answered firmly. "Just friends. We met in kindergarten. We literally grew up together. I've known her my whole life."

"How come you've never mentioned her?" Peter asked.

"I don't know," Mike shrugged. "I guess I just didn't think a whole lot about it." He quickly found himself lost in his thoughts, however. Why hadn't he ever mentioned her? It had hurt a lot the day she left, but no more so than he would imagine anyone else would. And that certainly wasn't a reason not to talk about a person. And why hadn't he noticed just how beautiful she was before? His thoughts were interrupted when Micky tapped him on the shoulder.

"They're playing," Micky said leading them to the stage. Mike stood with the others in the wings and watched the announcer introduce their band: Electric Platypus.

"That's a really weird name for a band," Davy snickered.

"So's the Monkees," Mike offered.

"Not as weird as that," Micky laughed. But they watched the performance. Ginny sang lead and played a beautiful mahogany guitar, singing beautifully into the microphone. Valerie sang backup while expertly playing the drums. The other two girls on stage, Mike didn't know, but he watched them play.

The first song they played was somewhat of a rock anthem about having the determination to follow your dreams, even if no one else agrees with them; and showing those who doubt you that you are not just a failure. The second was more of a ballad that spoke of having a friend who lived very far away, and though they weren't close physically, the connection they have is as strong as ever. The third song, which Mike swore he remembered from just before Valerie left for New York, was dark and somewhat heavier than the other two. It was about a girl who was tired of being lied to and put down by the one who was supposed to care for her; and she finally decides he is a waste of time.

"Wow," Peter breathed. "They're really, really good."

"Yeah," Davy said. "And pretty."

"You said that already," Micky laughed.

"It's gonna take a lot to beat them," Peter said then paused and looked at Mike. "Do we want to beat them?"

"Well, we don't wanna be mean about it, but this is a competition," Mike said. "I'd be happy for her if she won and she'd be happy for me if we won. So yes, it's gonna take a lot to beat them." After a few minutes, the Monkees were called onstage and Mike looked off to the side to see Valerie and Ginny standing there watching. They both gave Mike a thumbs up just before they broke into their set. True to fashion, Micky rocked "All of Your Toys" and Mike spied the judges tapping their feet a little. Mike was nervous when it came his turn, but he sang and played perfectly. Micky took center stage for "As We Go Along" and his voice seemed to caress the senses with it's sensuality. Mike could feel the song filling him with so much warmth and knew by the end they had nailed it. It may have been their whole act, but Micky's performance alone could have sealed their victory.

The boys gathered backstage next to Valerie and Ginny and chatted a bit longer while the rest of the bands performed. They talked about stories from back home, like Mike putting a skunk in the air vents at school. Mike blushed when Micky and the others looked at him in astonishment. He really was the troubled youth and none of them expected pranks like that from him. Maybe Micky, but not him. Micky and the others then regaled the girls with tales of their recent adventures, to which the girls laughed. They decided that after the announcement was made, the 6 of them would go out to grab some dinner and then they'd take them to their hotel after.

When the announcement was finally made, they gathered in front of the stage waiting with bated breath as the top ten winners were announced. Mike gave Valerie a congratulatory hug when they were announced fifth. Then they waited for their own name, which came 3 groups later. Micky, Davy, and Peter cheered and Valerie hugged Mike excited that they'd both made it into the top ten. They were now competing against each other, but Mike meant what he said. If Valerie won, he'd be very happy for her.

After the show, they went to Pop's Italian restaurant to celebrate. They had one round and 8 other bands to compete against, but they were excited nonetheless. They started talking again, and this time had more time to discuss things and could actually hear better. Mike wasn't comfortable with how much they were talking about him, but Ginny and Valerie were enjoying themselves too much to stop it.

"Ginny and I did this thing where we would randomly sneak up to people and scare the living daylights out of them while Mike distracted them," Valerie said.

"No way," Micky laughed.

"Yeah, some of them jumped four feet in the air!" Ginny laughed.

"It wasn't four feet," Mike said.

"Close enough," Ginny said. "The best part was making the jocks scream like little girls."

"Sometimes we would run up and hug them and shout "Jesus loves you!" just to freak them out, too," Valerie laughed.

"Oh my God," Micky laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Oh yeah," Mike said. "And you'd even point at random objects and say "look, it's Jesus!" only to have them all say "where!?"."

"We'd mess with the cheerleaders, too," Ginny said. "They were so worried about how they looked, so when we caught Mike staring at them one day, we decided to stare at them, but did it with funny faces like they had something in their teeth or something on their face. It was hilarious when they'd run to the bathroom to look at themselves in the mirror."

"You guys sound like you were terrible," Peter laughed.

"We had to do something," Ginny said. "It was a small town with nothing to do. Messing with cheerleaders was fun. We even built this haunted house in drama club and I went so far out of my way to make the jocks scream. One even pissed his pants and screamed higher than his cheerleader girlfriend!"

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Davy laughed.

"Sure thing," Valerie laughed. "But we were young then. We're a bit better now. But just a bit." They all laughed and finished enjoying their food. When Mike dropped Valerie and Ginny off at the hotel, he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but ignored it. He watched Valerie walk into the hotel and his mind started racing again. Thoughts of wanting to kiss her. Thoughts he'd never had before.

"Earth to Mike," Micky said waving his hand in front of Mike's face. "What's up, man?"

"Nothing, it's just," Mike breathed. "It's nothing. Let's go home; I'm tired." Micky seemed to look at him with slight disbelief, but left it alone. Even as they went to bed, Micky didn't say much. Mike almost thought that Micky knew exactly what Mike was thinking and didn't want to push it. He wanted to let Mike figure it out on his own. For which Mike was appreciative. Mike needed to think. As he lay his head down on his pillow, his thoughts were filled with Valerie. They'd always been best friends. He'd always thought she was smart, funny and pretty, but he'd never seen her as anything but his best friend. He kicked himself for not having seen just what a special person she was before.


	3. Prom Night

Author's Note: Thanks to BluCrayons, my wonderful beta. She has to go to rehab cause she's addicted to my stories and keeps pestering her for more. Who wants to join her? Other than MonkeeMidgie who needs to go, too.

Chapter 3: Prom Night

Mike, Micky, Peter and Davy sat at the kitchen table eating quietly. They were all tired. The excitement had prevented them from sleeping very well. But for Mike, it was more because he was so lost in his thoughts about Valerie. He dreamt about her. About kissing her, among other things. And most of his thoughts even now, revolved around her. He couldn't get her out of his mind. Even when they finished eating, Mike just stared at his empty bowl.

"Earth to Mike," Micky said waving his hand in front of Mike's face.

"Huh?" Mike asked. "What do you want?"

"I asked a question," Micky said. "You didn't hear me, did you?"

"No, sorry," Mike said. "What's your question?"

"Well, it was do you want to practice a bit," Micky said. "But now I think I wanna ask you something else. What's up with you?"

"Nothing's up with me," Mike said getting up from the table and grabbing his bowl. "And yes, we should practice."

"Uh-huh," Micky said as Mike washed his bowl out in the sink. "Nothing's wrong? So why did I have to ask you about practice three times?"

"You asked three times?" Mike asked.

"Yep," Peter agreed. "You look like Davy does when he runs into a girl. Every girl."

"Hey!" Davy protested.

"If this were TV, I'd imagine little stars shining in your eyes," Micky laughed. "So you've got a thing for Valerie."

"Maybe," Mike shrugged.

"Not "maybe", Mike," Davy argued. "I know a guy in love when I see it."

"Believe him, Mike," Micky chuckled. "He falls in love multiple times a day."

"Hey!" Davy said again. "I'm beginning to feel a little attacked."

"So the question is, if you love her, why haven't you done anything about it?" Peter asked ignoring Davy.

"I don't really know," Mike said. "I never saw her like that before. She's always just been a friend."

"Really?" Davy asked. "She's gorgeous! How can you only think of her as a friend?"

"Well, there was one time that I thought...maybe…" Mike started. "I didn't put too much thought into it though. Bad timing."

"What happened?" Micky asked.

"It's...well…" Mike hesitated. He wasn't even really sure he wanted to go into this. "I thought about asking her to prom. But some other guy already asked her before I could get up the courage. He was way better than me anyway. All-american boy. Quarterback and straight A student. Not to mention he was one of the hottest guys in the school. Or at least that's what the girls said. He was perfect."

"Wow," Davy muttered.

"So what happened to him?" Peter asked. .

"Well," Mike said thinking back. "He turned out to be an ass."

* * *

Mike walked up to the doors of the high school gym, fixing the tie threatening to choke him. He wasn't even sure why he was here, but his friends and Aunt Kate convinced him he might have fun. He figured he should at least give it a chance, even if he'd rather be at home with his guitar. He walked through the gym looking for his friends and spotted Ginny immediately. She was the only person in town with hair that red.

"Hey, Ginny," Mike said walking up to her. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," Ginny smiled. She was wearing a beautiful purple gown that accentuated her curves. Her hair was pulled up with a few soft red ringlets hanging loosely around her face. She wore a beautiful string of pearls around her neck and matching earrings that had a pearl dangling from a long sterling silver strand.

"Where's Valerie?" Mike asked.

"Dancing with Mason," Ginny pointed to them in the middle of the dancefloor. Mike watched for a minute before Ginny's boyfriend came over with drinks. Ginny's boyfriend was a nice guy and they'd been dating for a year or so, but they didn't seem that compatible to Mike. But it wasn't really his place to say anything. Valerie was dressed in a long black gown that hugged her body perfectly; it was plain looking in the front, but the back was open with a stunning rhinestone design draping from the straps that made her almost sparkle like a star. Her hair was woven up into an elegant bun at the back of her head. She wore a solitaire diamond necklace and rhinestone earrings to match the dress.

"They look like they're having a nice time," Ginny's boyfriend said.

"Yeah," Mike mumbled. He'd thought about asking her himself, but decided not to when he heard Mason had asked her. She'd never be interested in someone like him if she could have someone like Mason. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

"Ok," Ginny said looking at him knowingly. He just ignored her however, and walked away. He really didn't like being in social situations like this. He walked into the bathroom stall and loosened his tie a little. He was starting to feel claustrophobic. He wanted to leave, but promised his friends and his aunt he'd give it a shot. A few minutes after he walked in, he heard a few more people follow him. As soon as he realized it was Mason and his friends, he stood there and listened to them, pretending he wasn't there.

"God, this bitch is so uptight," Mason said.

"I told you," one of his friends said. "She won't put out."

"Unless you give her this," another friend said. Mike's ears immediately perked up. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Slip it in her drink and she'll be loose in just a few minutes. My truck is out back."

"Thanks,man," Mason said. Mike froze for a few seconds as they walked away. He really should have done something else; he should have stopped them. He couldn't let that happen to Valerie. He darted out of the bathroom hoping it wasn't too late. He rushed into the dance room to look for Valerie and Mason, but he didn't see them right away. He did, however, see Mason's friends laughing in the corner. He walked over to them and confronted them first.

"Where's Mason?" Mike demanded angrily.

"Chill out, man," one of his friends said. "What's your issue?"

"I heard you in the bathroom," Mike said. "I'm not letting him hurt her."

"You're just jealous," the other friend said. "Buzz off, yokel."

"Is there a problem here, boys?" one of the chaperones asked walking up to them.

"Yeah," Mike said. "These guys have some sort of date rape drug. They gave it to Mason."

"Don't be an idiot!" one of the boys said. "We didn't do anything!"

"Then you wouldn't mind turning out your pockets?" the chaperone asked.

"We have rights, you know," the other friend snapped.

"Not until you turn 18," the chaperone answered. "You can turn out your pockets now or we can do it in the principals office for you." The boys narrowed their eyes at Mike for squealing, but Mike didn't have time to stand and wait. He had to find Mason. He turned and darted out the back thinking that Mason would have already taken Valerie out to the truck. He pushed through the back doors and looked around for the truck. But about half the town had trucks. He would have to find the right one. He'd only been looking a few minutes when he heard a scream.

"Get off!" Valerie screamed. Mike darted as fast as he could go toward the sound. When he finally reached the truck, he saw Mason pushing Valerie down onto the truck bed and was trying to rip at her dress.

"Hey, asshole!" Mike yelled. "She said get off."

"Go away," Mason laughed ignoring Mike. Mike was a skinny, unathletic guy and wasn't sure he could take on the star quarterback, but he had to try. He grabbed Mason by the shoulders and pulled him off. This only served to piss Mason off and he swung at Mike. Mike was able to duck in time to avoid being hit, but he fell to the ground. Mason just laughed at him and pushed Valerie back down who was trying to get up, but was obviously starting to feel the effects of whatever drug Mason had slipped her. Mike spotted a tire iron on the ground next to him and picked it up before picking himself off the ground.

"Leave her alone," Mike yelled and when Mason turned to push him away again, Mike swung with all his might. He felt the crack as the tire iron made contact with Mason's face and Mason crumpled to the ground, screaming in agony and holding his face.

"What did you do!?" someone nearby yelled. But Mike didn't care. He stepped over Mason to get to Valerie.

"You ok?" Mike asked helping her out of the truck bed.

"Yeah," Valerie said a little slurred. "He didn't touch me. I don't feel good."

"He drugged you," Mike said. "I'm gonna take you inside to the nurse's office." Valerie nodded and Mike lifted her off the ground with a strength he didn't know he had. Again he stepped over Mason and walked back towards the school.

* * *

"Wow," Peter said when Mike finished the story.

"I didn't want to ask her out after that," Mike said. "She'd been traumatized and needed time to deal with it. But she left a few months after that."

"What happened to Mason?" Micky asked. "Hopefully he's rotting in a cage somewhere."

"He was," Mike said. "They were able to do tests on her and found a rudimentary date rape drug in her system. The same one the principal found on his friends. They all got about 2 years in jail."

"That's it?" Davy balked. "Two years for nearly raping someone!?"

"Yeah," Mike answered. "But his face is permanently damaged because of the tire iron. Broken nose and shattered cheeks. Not that that's enough of a punishment, but it's something. Not to mention he lost his precious football scholarship."

"So what about now?" Micky asked. "You can ask her out now."

"No, I can't," Mike answered sighing heavily.

"Why?" Davy asked.

"Because we live in California, she lives in New Jersey," Mike answered a little more flippantly than he intended. "Long distance relationships never work."

"Unless we win," Peter said. "In which case you can buy her a house and she can move out here."

"Peter, I'm not asking someone to drop everything and move out here just so I can date them," Mike sighed. "Look, why don't we get a little practice in." Mike noticed Micky, Peter and Davy exchange a look with each other. A look he knew all too well. "Guys, drop it. Please? Don't intervene. Just leave it alone, ok?"

"Ok," Micky said though his eyes shined suspiciously. Mike would have to keep a very close eye on him until Valerie went home. The boys spent the next hour practicing a setlist for the last round of performances. They still had to choose which songs to play and none of them could really come to an agreement. These songs really had to be their best songs. They were discussing possibilities when they heard a knock at the door. Micky got up and bounced over to the door to answer it.

"Hi Valerie," Micky said when he opened the door. "We were just talking about you. What brings you here?"

"Is Mike here?" Valerie asked.

"Yeah," Mike said getting up and walking over to her. He could tell that something was wrong. Her face was stained with worry and she had bitten her lower lip to the point it was starting to crack and bleed a little; biting her lips was something she always did when she was worried. She was also fidgeting with the string on her purse. "What's the matter?"

"I gotta talk to you," Valerie said. "I really don't know what to do."

"Come in," Micky said stepping aside and letting her walk past him. "Sit down."

"It's about Ginny," Valerie said sitting down at the table. Mike sat next to her and took her hand in his, knowing somehow what she was worried about.

"I take it she's not walking into doors?" Micky asked sitting next to her.


	4. Not a Klutz

Author's Note: Thanks to BluCrayons. I had a bad day and she pulled me out. Love ya!

Chapter 4: Not a Klutz

"I take it she's not walking into doors?" Micky asked sitting down next to Valerie. He didn't know her or Ginny that well, but he remembered the bruise he'd seen on her face and knew it wasn't from walking into a door. And he could see the look of worry on Valerie's face.

"She's a klutz, yes," Valerie answered with a heavy sigh. "But…"

"Not like that," Mike finished for her. "Is Sebastian hitting her, Valerie?"

"I think so," Valerie said. "I am pretty damn sure he is, but I have no proof. I don't know what to do, Mike."

"Aren't the bruises proof enough?" Peter asked leaning against the kitchen counter next to where Davy was sitting.

"Not when she claims she got them from walking into a door," Mike answered.

"She is a klutz," Valerie said. "But she laughs about that stuff all the time. When the ladder fell on her head, she was laughing the next day. Said she was surprised she didn't let out a string of curses when it hit her."

"Or when she accidently cut off the tip of her finger," Mike said. "She spent more time trying to clean up the blood than take care of her finger. Then kept showing it to anyone who didn't throw up."

"So for her to be so nonchalant about it is disturbing," Valerie said. "She doesn't do that. She's hiding something. And she doesn't hide anything from me."

"Have you tried talking to her?" Davy asked. "I mean, telling her what you suspect?"

"Of course," Valerie said. "She just blows me off. I went and tried again this morning. After you dropped us off, I heard him yelling at her in the hall. He didn't like that she hung out with you."

"What did she say?" Mike asked carefully putting his hand over hers for support.

"Not much," Valerie said near tears. "I should have done something last night when I heard them yelling. But I didn't. Why didn't I do something last night?"

"Valerie, what happened?" Mike asked.

"She wouldn't even let me in," Valerie answered. "But I saw her face through the door. She looked horrible, Mike. Her face was swollen and bruised. Her eye was swollen shut."

"Wow," Davy said. "What did she say?"

"She fell down the stairs," Valerie said wiping her watery eyes. "I can't bear to see this happen to her anymore, but I just don't know what to do. I tried convincing her that I knew he was beating her. But she won't listen to me. She won't leave him."

"What about him?" Peter asked. "Did you talk to him?"

"Yeah, cause he's just gonna admit he's beating up his fiance," Micky snorted.

"I said something to him once," Valerie said. "When I first met him. I'd seen her with a black eye and I told him that if I found out he was hurting her, I'd cut off a very personal appendage."

"Ow," Davy muttered unconsciously crossing his legs. Peter looked confused and Mike smirked a little.

"Ever since then, he does whatever he can to keep me away from her," Valerie continued. "I still don't know why he even let me be the drummer in this band. He must have been desperate. But I can't let this continue. Next time…" Valerie slumped over on the table, trying to keep herself from breaking down in tears. Micky knew what she was gonna say. If this continued, next time he could very well kill her.

"Why don't we talk to her," Micky suggested placing a hand on Valerie' shoulder trying to support her as much as he could. He didn't know her that well, but Mike loved her and cared for her and that was enough for Micky. "Maybe if we all talk to her, she'll finally listen."

"It couldn't hurt," Mike suggested putting his hand on her back.

"What if she pushes me even further away?" Valerie asked.

"If you don't try, we could lose her entirely," Mike answered softly.

"You think it could work?" Valerie asked looking at him sincerely.

"I don't know, but I'm willing to give it a try if the rest of your are," Mike said.

"Of course," Peter answered.

"Don't have to ask me twice," Davy said hopping down from the counter.

"Don't worry," Micky said. "We're here for you."

"Thank you," Valerie said wiping the tears from her eyes and smiling at Micky. Mike grabbed the keys and tossed them to Micky, not letting his hand leave Valerie's back. Once they were in the car, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. Micky followed her directions to the hotel and they got there within only a few minutes. Micky parked and they followed Valerie inside the lobby, Mike clutching Valerie's hand supportively. The lobby itself was huge; the hotel was definitely very expensive.

"Swanky," Davy muttered.

"Sebastian comes from money," Valerie said. "He's just doing this as a hobby. And, he claims, for her, but I doubt that since he pushes her so hard."

"How did they even meet?" Micky asked curiously.

"They met when she was singing at a nightclub," Valerie answered turning down a hallway. "Said he fell in love with her the moment he heard her voice."

"I can understand that," Micky said without thinking. Valerie shot him a curious look and he quickly tried to cover himself. "Well, she has a very beautiful voice. Anyone would fall in love with a voice like that."

"Yeah," Mike said with a slight tug at the corner of his lips. Micky silently kicked himself. He'd felt something spark in him the moment he'd heard her sing, too, but she was engaged and Mike's friend. So she was off limits for both reasons. When they turned down another hallway, Valerie froze as she spotted a man walking towards them. Micky assumed this was Sebastian by the look he got on his face when he saw her. He was dressed in a very fancy looking suit and had his hair slicked back. He looked like he oozed money.

"Valerie," Sebastian said. "What are you doing here? Your room is upstairs."

"I want to talk to Ginny," Valerie answered.

"She's still sleeping," Sebastian answered.

"No, she's not," Valerie said. "I just talked to her a couple hours ago."

"Well, she doesn't want to talk to you," Sebastian said turning to the boys. "And you are not welcome near my fiance. I've heard enough about you. Stay away from her."

"What does that mean?" Mike asked. "I've been friends with her since we were kids. You can't keep us from seeing her."

"She doesn't want to see you," Sebastian said. "And I've heard about your short little friend. Making off with every girl he can get his claws into."

"That's not fair!" Peter exclaimed.

"Leave, now," Sebastian said narrowing his eyes at them. "Before I call the cops." Before they could say anything else, Sebastian turned around and walked back towards what Micky assumed was his hotel room. He couldn't help but notice his fists were already clenched and they appeared to be bruised. Micky had no intention of leaving. Apparently neither did the others.

"Anyone else notice the bruised knuckles?" Micky asked.

"And the fact his fists are clenched as it is," Mike answered.

"I can't ignore it this time," Valerie said taking off down the hall behind Sebastian. Mike and the others followed without hesitation. The man was upset and without a doubt, he was going to take his anger out on Ginny. They quickly followed him down the hall, but lost him pretty soon. Not that it mattered, because Valerie knew which room they were staying in. They huddled around outside the room, unsure of what to do next.

"Now what?" Davy asked. "We can't just break in."

"No, we can't," Mike agreed. "Not without reason."

"So we have to wait until he hurts her?" Valerie asked angrily.

"I don't really like it either," Mike said. "But we don't have a choice. We barge in there before hand and he'll just have us all arrested. And then what?" Valerie sighed knowing Mike was right. Micky didn't like it any more than Valerie did, but he didn't have much of a choice. So Mike, Micky and Valerie leaned their ears close to the door while Davy and Peter stood watch to make sure no one walked by and questioned what they were doing. They didn't hear much but a little mumbling for a little while; nothing they could really make out. After a while, though, they heard Ginny.

"Please don't, Sebastian," Ginny said loudly.

"Shut up, bitch," Sebastian answered. They heard a thunk and a crash and Micky decided that was all he needed to barge in. He and Mike both shouldered the door open and Micky stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was on the other side of the door. Ginny was lying on the ground with a towel barely covering her and her hair wet as though she'd just gotten out of the shower. Sebastian was standing above her, pants undone and hanging loosely off his hips, fists clenched and whirled around to look at them when they broke the door down.

"Get the fuck away from her," Valerie said immediately before Mike or Micky could react.

"Mind your own damn business, bitch," Sebastian said. Valerie darted between Micky and Mike, clearly ready to tackle Sebastian, but Mike threw out his hand and stopped her.

"I'll give you a chance to walk away from this," Mike said coldly.

"Walk away from what?" Sebastian snorted. "She's my fiance. I can do whatever I want. You should be the ones to walk out."

"You can't do whatever you want," Micky said.

"You can't hurt her," Mike said moving carefully to stand in front of Valerie. "And we can clearly see you are. So don't even try to lie your way out of this. Like I said, I'm being nice and giving you a chance to just walk away."

"And what are you gonna do if I don't, skinny?" Sebastian said pulling a gun from inside his pants. Mike must have been the only one to see it because he's the only one who didn't flinch. Micky realized that's why he'd kept Valerie back; why he'd shielded her.

"Why don't you ask my ex Mason," Valerie spat.

"Davy, go call the cops," Mike said.

"Oh yes, and tell them all about how you broke into my room," Sebastian said. "They'll love that."

"And I'm sure they'll love it even more when they find out you're beating the shit outta your fiance," Valerie snapped.

"Ginny wouldn't say anything against me and it's my word against hers," Sebastian said.

"Please put the gun down," Ginny said weakly from the floor. She was bleeding and her face was indeed very swollen. She needed medical attention as soon as possible.

"Shut up," Sebastian said waving the gun at Mike and Valerie. Micky noticed that Mike tried to make himself as big as possible to cover Valerie behind him, though didn't need to with her small stature.

"She needs help," Micky pled even though part of him knew it was fruitless. "If you don't get her help, she could die. You don't want that, do you?"

"Davy, go, now," Mike said again. Davy quickly darted out the room and Mike moved closer to Sebastian. "Put down the gun. You don't want to make things worse than they already are, do you?"

"Self defense," Sebastian said cocking the gun. Micky's heart started racing with the sound of it. What was Mike doing?! "Leave or I'll shoot you."

"Go ahead," Mike said. "Cause I'm not leaving. Not without my friend. My friend that I grew up with. Who is a beautiful young woman who deserves so much better than the likes of you. You may have control over her now. You may have beaten her down to where she doesn't believe she deserves better or can, but I know she can. And if that means letting you shoot me to prove it, that's what I'm gonna do. So go ahead. Shoot me."

"Mike," Valerie said softly. But Micky understood when he saw fear flash in Ginny's eyes. She heard Mike. And she wasn't going to let him get hurt. She quickly kicked Sebastian in the back of the knee dropping him to the floor. He tried to get up, but his pants tangled around his ankles. Valerie darted across the room and grabbed a fire poker while Mike yanked the gun from Sebastian's hand.

"I'd stay down if I were you, Sebastian," Mike warned. "Valerie, don't." Valerie narrowed her eyes dangerously and held the sharp poker above her head. Mike pointed the gun at Sebastian on the ground, daring him to get back up. Micky and Peter rushed to help Ginny get away from him.

"Peter, go see if you can find something a bit bigger to cover her up," Micky said moving the towel to cover a little bit more of her, but it was still small. Peter nodded and ran off to where the closet was and started digging around. All he found was a robe and brought it back to her.

"You people are insane," Sebastian said. "I'll have you arrested for assault and breaking and entering!"

"Shut the fuck up," Valerie said. "What did I say I'd do if I ever caught you hurting her?"

"You don't have the guts, sweetie," Sebastian laughed. Valerie threw the poker at Sebastian before Mike could stop her. It landed directly in between Sebastians legs, pinning his pants to the ground but barely missing any actual flesh. Sebastian gasped in horror at what she'd done, but then started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Mike asked.

"She missed," Sebastian answered. "Crazy bitch missed."

"No, I didn't," Valerie spat. "I never miss. That was a warning, bastard."

"She needs help," Micky said inspecting Ginny. She was bleeding from her nose and ear and had a little blood in her mouth. "We should get her to a hospital."

"Go," Mike said. "We'll meet you there." Micky nodded and he carefully lifted Ginny off the floor. She softly whispered "thank you" before passing out in his arms. He needed to get her to the hospital fast. Peter dug the keys out of his pocket and Valerie placed a soft kiss on Ginny's forehead before they left.

"Take care of her," Valerie said behind them. "I'll be there when we get done with the cops."

"I will," Micky promised running for the car.


	5. The Cops

Author's Note: Thanks to BluCrayons. As always. Hope you like!

Chapter 5: The Cops

"You both are insane, you know that!" Sebastian roared staring at the gun Mike was still pointing at him.

"You do realize if it weren't for him that you're ass would be castrated by now, right?" Valerie snapped. "It's bad enough I have to stay here and wait for the cops to deal with you. I'd much rather be taking Ginny to the hospital myself. But I don't trust you."

"Valerie, maybe you should go sit down and breath a bit," Mike said. He knew how she got when she was angry. Once she'd realized fully what had happened to her at prom, she nearly snuck into the hospital and killed Mason herself. It took Ginny and Mike nearly strapping her down to a chair to keep her calm.

"I'm fine," Valerie snapped. "It's him you should be worried about."

"It is," Mike answered giving her a determined look. Valerie sighed and sat down on the end of the bed in the room, but never took her eyes off Sebastian. It only took a few moments for Davy to lead the cops into the room. Mike put his hands up in the air and dropped the gun on the floor between him and the cops before they even had a chance to tell him to. One cop came over and immediately picked up the gun while the other moved to handcuff Mike.

"What the fuck are you doing!?" Valerie asked jumping up.

"Just procedure, Ma'am, until we figure all this out," the cop said sitting Mike down in a chair. Other cops moved to inspect and handcuff Sebastian.

"It's fine, Valerie" Mike said.

"I told you already that dumbass attacked his fiance and my other friends took her to the hospital," Davy said angrily.

"I understand, but we need to make sure of all that," the officer said. "He was holding a gun."

"I didn't do anything, officer," Sebastian seethed. "These crazy people broke down my door and attacked me!"

"Shut the fuck up," Valerie said.

"Ma'am, I'm really gonna need you to calm down," the officer who'd cuffed Mike said. "Everything will get resolved; just please calm down. Alright, I'm Detective Epps. I'm going to talk to you each one on one and get an idea of what happened here. Then we'll decide what to do with each of you."

"Arrest her!" Sebastian yelled. "Crazy bitch nearly stabbed me with that fire poker!"

"If you say another word, I'm taking you down without giving you a chance to talk," Detective Epps said angrily then turned to Mike. "You come out in the hall with me."

"Yes, Sir," Mike said standing up. Another officer followed while several others stayed behind to make sure everyone behaved inside the room. Mike shot Valerie and Davy a look before going out into the hall. "Guys, behave, please. It'll be ok."

"Alright, start by telling me your name," Detective Epps said once they were out in the hallway.

"Michael Nesmith," Mike answered.

"Ok, Mr. Nesmith, how do you know the victim?" Detective Epps asked.

"Ginny and I met in grade school," Mike answered. "Valerie, Ginny and I all grew up in the same town together. I've known her since we were kids, but we grew apart when we all moved away. New Gallifrey is a very small town. Everyone pretty much knows each other."

"Ok, so what happened tonight?" Detective Epps asked after jotting something on a piece of paper.

"Valerie came to us and told us she thought Sebastian was abusing Ginny," Mike started. When he'd finished, the detective had written a lot down. Mike told everything. As much as he didn't want to say Valerie had thrown that poker, he knew he had to. "She didn't really mean to hurt him. She's just overprotective. She's upset. If she meant to hurt him, she would have."

"And you held the gun on him why?" Detective Epps asked.

"Didn't want him getting up and attacking us," Mike answered. "Ginny was hurt really bad. And he very nearly shot me. He would have if Ginny hadn't kicked him."

"How bad were her injuries?" Detective Epps asked.

"I didn't see that well," Mike admitted. "I was focused more on the gun he was pointing at me. But I saw her face was swollen and she was bleeding pretty bad. My friend Micky said she was hurt bad and needed help right away so I told him to take her to the hospital. They should be there by now."

"I have my partner en route to speak with them," he answered. They heard loud shouting from inside the room and Detective Epps told Mike to wait as he opened the door and looked inside.

"I'm in terrible pain!" Sebastian was yelling.

"Good," Mike heard Davy mutter near the door.

"We'll call an ambulance for you, sir," Detective Epps sighed. "Miss, can you come out here please?"

"Gladly," Valerie answered getting up and walking out into the hall.

"What's your full name?" Epps asked.

"Valerie Miller," Valerie answered. He asked her the same questions he'd asked Mike and she'd answered the same way. Up until they got to the fire poker.

"Why did you throw the fire poker at him?" Epps asked.

"Because I told him before that I'd cut his dick off if I ever caught him hurting my friend," Valerie said and Mike rolled his eyes. She was just digging herself into a hole. "He's lucky I decided to miss. He beat the shit out of her then held a gun on my best friend. I was angry."

"You really missed on purpose?" Epps asked raising an eyebrow.

"Believe me, if I wanted to hit him, I would have hit him," Valerie answered. "But I figured the cops were coming and he wasn't worth it. I don't wanna go to jail over him. I need to be with my friend. Besides, he'll get what he deserves in jail."

"Miss Miller, you could still be charged with assault," Epps said.

"I didn't assault him," Valerie answered. "He's not hurt."

"You threw a weapon at him," Epps said. "That's very serious."

"He beat the shit out of my best friend," Valerie said. "He's done it for at least a year. He had his pants undone. We heard her say "no". He was gonna rape her. He deserves to have his dick thrown in a blender."

"Valerie," Mike warned.

"I understand you're upset, Miss Miller," Epps said. "But you should have just waited for us."

"Are you going to arrest her?" Mike asked hoping the officer would just let it go in light of the situation.

"I don't know yet," he answered. "You two go wait inside. I'm going to talk to my partner and make a decision then." Mike nodded and followed Valerie back inside.

"Valerie, you shouldn't have said that," Mike said. "You should have just apologized."

"But I'm not sorry," Valerie answered.

"You could go to jail," Mike answered.

"I know," Valerie said. "I don't care about that so much. I just wanna be with Ginny. What happens after I know she's ok doesn't matter. I won't apologize for that. I'll deal with the repercussions of my actions like a big girl."

"Are they gonna let you go?" Davy asked walking over to Mike.

"They have to," Valerie said. "He didn't do anything. If they're gonna arrest any of us, it'll be me."

"Why, for doing what each of us wanted to do?" Davy asked.

"Davy, knock it off," Mike said. "I know we're all mad, but that kind of action or behavior isn't going to accomplish anything but get us into trouble when we need to be there for Ginny."

"Sorry," Davy said solemnly as though he'd just been scolded by his dad. They waited another few minutes, Sebastian shooting them dirty looks the whole time until Detective Epps came back in the room.

"Alright, sir," Epps said. "It's your turn. What happened?"

"These people broke down my door and assaulted me!" Sebastian snapped.

"They assaulted you?" Epps asked.

"That's right," Sebastian answered.

"And your fiance?" Epps asked. "What happened to her?"

"She fell down some stairs," Sebastian answered. "She's a klutz. Two days ago she walked into a door. She's always hurting herself."

"And you had your pants undone when they barged in why?" Epps asked.

"Why do you think!?" Sebastian answered. "She's my fiance! I was in the mood."

"Did she indicate she wasn't?" Epps asked.

"No," Sebastian answered.

"Are you positive?" Epps asked. "She didn't say "please, don't"?"

"No," Sebastian said.

"I just got off the radio with my partner at the hospital," Epps said. "He spoke to your fiance. She says you hit her last night. With a golf club. And that you tried to force yourself on her today. After she said "Please, don't", these folks burst down the door to save her after you told her to shut up and hit her again."

"She's lying," Sebastian said still trying to lie his way out of this.

"Really?" Epps said. "Because the doctors say her injuries are consistent with blunt trauma from a golf club, and not falling down a flight a stairs. And her story matches these three and the two boys at the hospital to a tee. Not a single discrepancy. Which means that you are under arrest for assault and attempted rape."

"I didn't do anything!" Sebastian roared as two of the officers started to pick him up and take him away.

"What about us?" Mike asked.

"You are all free to go," Epps answered moving to uncuff Mike. "But Miss Miller, I suggest you control your anger better."

"I will," Valerie said. "Just promise you'll put him away for a long time."

"The evidence against him is pretty strong," Epps answered. "Why don't I give you three a ride to the hospital?"

"That would be great," Mike answered. "Thank you."

* * *

In the hospital, Micky and Peter were nervously waiting to hear from the doctors. They weren't family so the doctor said they wouldn't be able to say much, but they'd let them in to see Ginny if she said it was ok. The police were already there waiting for them and they'd each given their statements in separate rooms to a detective. Now they could only wait. They hadn't heard anything about Mike, Davy or Valerie either. So when they saw the detective walking towards them again, they both jumped up from their seats.

"Is she ok?" Micky asked. "Are our friends ok?"

"Calm down," Detective Kenda answered. "I can only tell you she's awake and she said it was ok for you to see her. I heard from my partner and they've arrested the man who did this and are giving your friends a ride here as we speak."

"Oh thank goodness," Peter breathed.

"So that asshole is going away for a long time?" Micky asked. Peter whipped his head and looked at Micky in shock; Micky had never cursed in front of Peter before and Micky knew Peter was a pacifist and didn't really like cursing. "Sorry, Peter, but he is."

"Yes, Sebastian is going to jail and will be charged with assault, attempted rape, and I'm sure I'll find a few other charges to tack on," Detective Kenda smiled. "You boys saved that girls life. You should be proud of what you did. Word of advice, though, don't blame her. She needs support more than anything else." Micky and Peter nodded and behind them they heard Mike, Davy, and Valerie come into the hospital.

"How is she?" Valerie asked as soon as she made her way to Micky.

"I don't know, they won't tell us anything cause we're not family," Micky answered.

"If you want to see her, come with me," Detective Kenda said. Valerie nodded and impatiently followed him down the hall with the four boys and who Micky assumed to be Kenda's partner. They were finally led to a small room where a nurse and doctor were tending to Ginny. The two detectives waited outside while the boys and Valerie walked in. She looked terrible. Her face was swollen and her eye was bruised. Her arm was currently in a sling and she had a bandage wrapped around her head.

"What happened?!" Valerie exclaimed rushing over to her friend and nearly knocking the nurse over in the process.

"I'm fine," Ginny said.

"You don't look fine!" Valerie argued.

"Miss," the nurse said looking at her gruffly. "If you don't let me work, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Sorry," Valerie said softly, but didn't back away until Mike grabbed her arm and pulled her. "I'm just...you had me worried sick!"

"It's nothing to worry about," Ginny said as the nurse continued to work making sure all the wires were attached right and putting medicine in her IV. "Just a few bumps and bruises."

"The cop said he attacked you with a golf club!" Valerie protested.

"I'm gonna be fine," Ginny insisted. "Can you please calm down? You're kinda giving me a headache."

"Is she gonna be fine?" Mike asked looking to the doctor. The doctor looked at Ginny who nodded that it was ok to discuss her condition with them.

"She's sustained some pretty substantial injuries," the doctor said. "She has a fractured arm and a shattered cheek. We have a highly skilled surgical team getting ready to put it back together soon, but until then I told her to try and not talk."

"Sorry, doc," Ginny mumbled when the doctor gave her a look.

"She has a deep laceration on her scalp that we sewed closed and while we believe she just has a concussion, we're checking to make sure there's no brain swelling," the doctor added. "She has a few other bruises and some old wounds, but it's nothing we can't take care of. She'll heal with treatment and rest."

"Thank God," Valerie said.

"See, I told you I was gonna be ok," Ginny said trying to smile only to wince.

"Ginny, sweetie, just take it easy, ok?" Mike said.

"Doctor, they're ready for her," another nurse said poking her head in the door.

"Ok, the anesthesiologist should be here any minute and she'll be out for quite a while," the doctor nodded. "Probably won't wake until the morning just to be sure. So why don't you guys go home for the night and you can see her tomorrow."

"Of course," Mike said, though Micky noticed Valerie seemed to want to stay.

"Wait a minute," Ginny said. "Can I say something please first?"

"Sure," the doctor said.

"Valerie, I'm so sorry," Ginny said.

"For what?" Valerie asked moving back beside her friend now that the nurse was finished.

"That I let this get this far," Ginny said softly. "That I lied to you. I just…"

"Hey, you don't have to apologize," Valerie said.

"I do," Ginny said. "You tried to help me, but I didn't let you. I was just so scared. The first time he hit me, I packed up all my bags and was set and ready to move out and leave. But he...he…"

"No one blames you for this," Micky said.

"I know, but…" Ginny said. "He said he owned me. He said I couldn't leave him. He said if I left him, he'd hurt you. He'd hurt everyone I loved. He said he even knew Mason and could easily tell him where you were. I just couldn't let that happen to you. I couldn't let him hurt you. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Ginny," Valerie said softly and carefully kissed the top of her forehead. "I understand. And it doesn't matter to me. All that matters is that you get better, ok. Focus on that. Get better."


	6. Final Round

Author's Note: Thanks to BluCrayons. Love ya so much, darling! You're an excellent beta and an even better friend!

Chapter 6: Final Round

"I really wish I could just stay here with her," Valerie said as she and the boys walked out to their car. "Someone should be with her."

"Yeah, but they won't let us," Micky agreed. "Visiting hours are over."

"I think I'd rather sleep in the waiting room," Valerie said glancing back at the hospital. Micky could tell that she really didn't want to even go back to the hotel but if she slept in the uncomfortable chairs in the lobby, she'd be sore the next morning.

"That's not gonna accomplish anything," Mike said. "Why don't you just come back to the Pad and crash at our house for the night?"

"You sure?" Valerie asked then turned back to the other boys. "You guys ok with that?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Peter asked.

"Of course," Davy answered.

"Thanks," Valerie said. "I just really don't wanna go back to that hotel. I can't deal with it right now."

"That's fine," Micky said. "When we get back you can call your friends and let them know what happened."

"Thank you," Valerie smiled as they all got into the car together. They drove home rather quickly, no one really saying much. They were all worried about Ginny even though the doctors said she'd be fine. When they drove up into the driveway, Micky noticed a small box sitting in front of the door.

"What's this?" Davy asked jumping out of the car as Mike parked it and walked over to the box.

"Anyone expecting a package?" Mike asked getting out as well.

"No," Peter answered.

"It's addressed to Micky," Davy said.

"Really?" Micky asked looking at the box now in Davy's hands.

"Yeah," Davy said. "It doesn't really say anything other than "For Micky"."

"What is it?" Mike asked. Davy shrugged and handed the box over to Micky. Micky opened up the box and looked inside to find a plate of cookies.

"Cookies," Micky said.

"Weird," Mike muttered. "You sure you have no idea who it's from?"

"There's nothing else on the note," Davy said turning the small notecard over just to be sure.

"Micky, maybe you shouldn't eat that," Mike said just as Micky raised a cookie to his lips.

"Why not?" Micky asked. "I love cookies."

"Because we just put someone in jail and he's probably pissed," Mike answered. "Wouldn't be the first time someone from jail wanted to hurt those who put him there."

"Mike, lighten up," Micky said. "He hasn't had time to cook anything like this up for one, and for two, it might just be a fan of ours from the competition or something."

"You never know," Valerie said. "I agree with Mike. We don't know how many connections Sebastian has."

"Then why would it be addressed only to Micky?" Davy asked. "If it were Sebastian getting revenge, it would be for all of us. I agree with Micky. Can I have one?"

"Isn't he still in a holding cell anyway?" Peter asked reaching out to ask for one as well. "He doesn't actually go to jail till tomorrow. He doesn't even get his phone call. So how could he arrange this?"

"I don't know, but we should be careful," Mike said. "Don't eat that."

"Lighten up, Mike," Micky said taking a bite out of the cookie. He really couldn't see anything wrong with the cookie. In fact, it tasted great. He handed one to Peter and another to Davy who ate one, too. Micky walked in the house and sat at the table to grab another cookie from the box. He kicked his feet up on the table and just relaxed a little.

"See, nothing," Peter smiled.

"Maybe," Mike said. "I still don't trust it. Could be just trying to get our trust. Or duds. Either way, be careful." Mike eyed him the whole rest of the day, but Micky just relaxed and enjoyed himself. Valerie went to call her other bandmates and friends to tell them what had happened and they'd all agreed to meet her at the hospital in the morning.

They made lunch and talked about what her band was going to do for the competition. She said that she'd probably end up singing lead on their songs. Even with the finals being a month away, they all doubted that she'd be able to sing with her cheekbone being fractured. Valerie said Ginny would still want to compete, despite what had happened.

* * *

The next morning, Mike and the others drove Valerie to the hospital so they could visit Ginny. Micky wanted to see her, too, but the doctors said only a few people could see her so soon after her surgery. So Micky decided to let her and her bandmates visit Ginny instead while Micky and the boys waited in the lobby for them. They waited for a few hours for the girls to come out before deciding to take them all out to eat as a treat.

Micky made sure to ask how Ginny was healing, hoping she'd get better soon. Valerie said the doctors said she'd be able to hold a guitar carefully for the competition, but wouldn't be able to sing as well. So the band had agreed to practice some songs Valerie could sing without Ginny and were still determined to win the competition. So they all pushed on.

Valerie continued to stay with the boys as long as Ginny was in the hospital. She couldn't bring herself to go back to the hotel at all, so Mike had gone to pack up her stuff and check her out. The other girls in the band decided to stay since their rooms had been paid up for the duration of the competition. A week after Ginny went into the hospital, she was discharged with special care instructions. Micky and the boys assumed that she wouldn't want to go back to the hotel either, so they invited her to stay with them as well. So for the next three weeks, up to the finals, Ginny and Valerie slept in the room downstairs while the boys slept upstairs, taking turns with the two beds and two sleeping bags.

The day after he was arrested, Sebastian faced the court and entered his not guilty plea. Micky was pleased that the judge wouldn't take any crap from him and no matter how much Sebastian tried to say he had been set up or that his father was a powerful man, the judge instilled a heavy bond citing the seriousness of the crime he was facing. Micky heard that Sebastian's father visited Ginny in the hospital and when he saw her, refused to post the bail for his son saying he deserved to stay in jail; he hadn't raised a son to treat women that way. The trial date was set for a few months later, and the boys agreed they would attend every day of the trial.

The night of the competition, the boys drove the girls to the venue and they all gathered backstage. The boys had picked 2 songs to perform and had been practicing all month long in their spare time: "She Hangs Out" and "Words". The girls went first, performing two songs with Valerie singing beautifully on lead vocals. The first song was a bluesy rock song they said was called Dysfunctional Dreams and it was about dreaming of past mistakes and trying to not let them ruin your future and the second, called Reckless Judgement which was a full out psychedelic rock song about the fallouts of a reckless life. The judges threw them a curveball, though. They were to do a last minute acoustic piece. Valerie quickly decided on a piece they should do and the boys turned to each other in worry.

"What do we do?" Micky asked. "We didn't practice anything acoustic. I don't even know if we have any acoustic numbers."

"Maybe we could do one of our other songs as an acoustic version," Peter suggested.

"Sure, but which one?" Davy asked.

"Actually," Mike said eyeing Valerie singing on stage, "I have been working on a song that I think will work great."

"Really?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," Mike answered. He didn't really say much else, but there was a glint in his eye that Micky recognized all too well. Micky wasn't sure what Mike's plan was, but he trusted him. Micky watched Valerie finish her song. It was a power ballad called Hopeless Romantics, touching on a love lost, but still very much alive in heart. When it came time for their performance, the boys performed the two songs they had planned and then were asked for their acoustic piece. Mike sat down on a little stool in the middle of the stage and started playing a song Micky had never heard before. But as he listened, he knew Mike had written it for Valerie.

"I've known for a long time, the kind of girl you are," Mike started beautifully after strumming out the first few cords. "Of a smile that covers teardrops, the way your head yields to your heart. Of things you've kept inside that most girls couldn't bear. I've known you for a long time, but I've just begun to care. I've known of all the heartaches. I've known of all the pain. I've seen you when the sun shines and I've seen you when it rains. I've seen you make a look of love from just an icy stare. I've known you for a long time, but I've just begun to care. I know I've been blind to not have loved you all this time. But the image of you wasn't clear. I guess I've been standing too near. Oh, it's taken me a while but I have finally found what you are to me and that's what really counts. And what you are to me is something we can share. I've known you for a long time, but I've just begun to care. Oh, it's taken me a while but I have finally found what you are to me and that's what really counts. And what you are to me is something we can share. I've known you for a long time, but I've just begun to care."

As Mike performed, Micky glanced off stage and saw Valerie and Ginny standing in the wings. They both had smiles on their faces; they both knew what this song was. But Micky still wondered if Mike would be able to really act on his feelings. After all, Valerie and Ginny were going home tomorrow; the competition would be over. They'd have to come back long enough to testify at Sebastians trial, but that would be it. The chances of Mike ever really seeing either of them again were slim. He could talk, phone or write letters, but when you live a whole country apart, you can't carry on a relationship.

And inside, Micky knew the same could be said for him. Not only did he have to bury his feelings for Ginny because she was Mike's friend, and you didn't date your friend's friends, but there would also be a distance between them. But as he watched her watching them, their eyes met and his stomach fluttered a little. He had to force himself to look away. He couldn't let himself get attached to her. She was leaving and that was that.

As Mike finished, the judges thanked them for their performance and excused them from the stage. Once in the backroom, Mike started packing their equipment up without looking at either Valerie or Ginny. Micky figured it might be a good idea to leave them alone to talk, hoping that Mike would at least voice his feelings so they could work things out, even if that meant they couldn't really be together. So he made up an excuse to leave.

"I...I have to go use the bathroom," Micky said.

"Yeah, uh, and I have to go get that girls phone number," Davy said pointing at noone.

"And I have to make sure the car is where we left it," Peter said. Micky stifled a laugh at Peter's lame excuse and caught Ginny doing the same out of the corner of her eye.

"I think I need to use the bathroom, too," Ginny said as the four of them quickly left leaving Mike and Valerie alone rather obviously. Micky however, hung by the curtain to eavesdrop.

"Micky, that's not nice," Peter said though he, Davy and Ginny were doing the same thing.

"So ground me later," Micky joked.

"Sorry, my friends aren't very good at lying," Mike laughed.

"That was a very beautiful song," Valerie said ignoring his comment.

"Which one?" Mike asked.

"Really, Mike?" Valerie laughed. "You know which one."

"Yeah…" Mike trailed off.

"It...it was for me, wasn't it?" Valerie asked.

"I just wrote it real fast about a month ago," Mike said. "Just a nice song that I thought would work well as an acoustic. Wasn't really about anyone."

"It wasn't?" Valerie asked sounding a little pained. Micky rolled his eyes, but he could also hear the doubt in her voice. "So there's no one special in your life?"

"Not really," Mike said still not meeting her eyes. "I mean, there is this one girl that may be, but she lives on the other side of the country, so it would never really work."

"I see," Valerie answered.

"Yeah," Mike answered. "They're gonna announce the winners soon. We should get ready for that. I should find where my friends went, but knowing them, they're behind the curtain eavesdropping." Micky blushed a little, but tried to cover it up. They tried to make it seem as though they'd finished their tasks, but Mike just shot them one of his looks. They were then all called on stage to hear the winners. Out of the ten bands that made it to the finals, the top four were announced. Unfortunately, they hadn't won, but they had placed third and Valerie's band had placed second, so they at least got some reward money.

The boys cheered and celebrated with the girls, all being careful not to hurt Ginny too much, even though they hadn't won first place. They wouldn't be getting their chance at stardom, fame and fortune, but they were still winning enough money to fill their Pad with food and then some. And, as Mike pointed out, they could pay back Mr. Guggins, who cheered from the audience, for their entry fee. Micky's elation was a little short lived as he caught Ginny's eye again and was reminded that he was going to have to say goodbye to her come morning.


	7. Celebratory Dinner

Author's Note: Thanks, again, BluCrayons. You're the best!

Chapter 7: Celebratory Dinner

When the boys got home, they decided what they would do with their winnings. The girls went off to a restaurant with their other bandmates to discuss their own winnings, saying they'd be back to the pad later that night as they didn't have to leave for the airport until the next morning. The girls had $75,000 and the boys $50,000. They had a lot of money, and while Micky and the others wanted to spend it on things they wanted, Mike insisted on saving it. After about an hour, they finally agreed. They had a good home and a good car, so they agreed to spend money on repairs needed to fix them, each would get $1500 to spend however they wanted, they'd pay back Mr. Guggins and the rest would go into a savings.

"So it's settled," Mike said getting up from the table. "Tomorrow we go pay Mr. Guggins back and then go shopping and open a savings account on the way home."

"Deal," the other three said.

"I'm off to bed," Mike said starting to walk up the stairs, but before he could, there was a knock at the door. Mike crossed the room to answer it.

"Valerie, how many times have I told you that you don't have to knock?" Mike asked when he opened the door.

"I don't live here," Valerie answered with a smile. "I found these on the doorstep."

"More cookies?" Micky asked looking at the box that looked exactly like the one from earlier.

"Yes, but I don't think you should eat them, Micky," Valerie said.

"Nothing happened last time," Micky said.

"We have no idea who they're from," Mike said stepping in between Micky and the cookies. "Look, nothing happened last time, but maybe that was an accident. Maybe this time they're really poisoned."

"They're probably just from some fan," Micky said. "Mike, you're too uptight about things."

"After everything we've seen and been through," Mike said. "You can't be too careful. Valerie, throw them away. No one eats them. I'll buy you cookies at the store tomorrow with our winnings."

"Fine," Micky grumbled. He really didn't understand why Mike was being so obstinate about the cookies. Sure there was a chance they were from Sebastian, but the last ones hadn't been poisoned so why would they assume these were.

"What time do we need to take you ladies to the airport?" Mike asked.

"Actually, we wanted to talk to you about that," Valerie said. "We aren't leaving."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"Our friends are going back home," Ginny said. "We're splitting the money four ways. $18,750 for each of us. We discussed it and Valerie and I would rather stay here. Split the cost of a house. Pretty sure we can find a cheap one for a little more than $17,000. And we can split a car, too. Found a nice one advertised for around $2,000."

"Yeah, but why?" Mike asked.

"Why not?" Valerie answered. "We like it here. And our friends are here."

"You have friends back home, don't you?" Mike asked. Micky watched this interaction closely; he was happy that Valerie was going to stay because then maybe Mike would be able to actually tell her how he felt, but it seemed Mike was against this idea.

"Yes," Valerie said, "but not as close as you. And we'll have to come back for the trial anyway. We've discussed this and this is what Ginny and I want to do. We like it here."

"You're...you're staying?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Valerie answered. "I don't live across the country anymore. That is, if you guys don't mind us staying here a little bit longer until we find a place…"

"Of course not!" Micky said quickly. "We'd be more than happy to have you stay. And we'll even help you look."

"Micky…" Mike said eyeing him, but Micky didn't care. He had never seen Mike look at anyone the way he looked at Valerie and now she was staying but Mike was still not making a move on her. Micky wasn't sure why Mike was still so against revealing his feelings for Valerie. It was like she was spelling things out for him to make a move, but he wouldn't budge. Micky knew that was the biggest reason she decided to stay, but she was waiting for him to make the move.

"It'll be great!" Davy exclaimed and Peter smiled. Mike sighed and relented. Micky said goodnight as they all went to bed, but instead of sleeping, his thoughts were filled with how he could get Mike and Valerie together. With a few sprinklings of Ginny to distract him momentarily.

* * *

The next day, the boys had done their shopping and other errands quickly as Micky, Peter and Davy were excited to help Valerie and Ginny look at houses. But Mike was still being a little resistant to the whole thing. They found a perfect small 2 bedroom house almost right up the street from the boys that was under the girls budget and the two of them fell in love with it. Mike kept asking if they were sure about even staying here when they both had family elsewhere. Micky rolled his eyes and suggested Mike and Valerie go through and talk to the real estate agent while he and the boys looked around the house with Ginny again.

"What is with him?" Davy asked. "I don't get it! He obviously loves her; why is he fighting this!"

"He's had a crush on her for a long time," Ginny said. "Ever since they were kids. But there was always a reason not to ask her out. Now there isn't one and he doesn't know what to do. He's scared it won't work."

"But it will," Micky said. "I can see it in his eyes. She even wants it."

"I know," Ginny said. "She knows that song at the contest was about her."

"So what do we do about it?" Davy asked.

"Maybe we shouldn't meddle," Peter said. "Meddling isn't nice and never works well."

"Never say never," Micky said. "I actually have an idea…"

* * *

A few days later, the boys had set their plan into motion. They had worked everything out with the parties involved and were ready to go. Valerie and Ginny were still staying with them, which made their plan a little more difficult, but they figured a way around it. That morning Mike, Micky and Peter were eating breakfast and Davy had taken the girls out for a day of shopping.

"Hey, we didn't really celebrate our winning," Peter said. "Why don't we go out and celebrate tonight? Get dressed up and eat at a fancy restaurant and everything?"

"We didn't really win," Mike said.

"We won third place in a nationwide contest," Micky said. "I think that's still pretty good. Worthy of celebration."

"Ok, where do you guys wanna go?" Mike asked.

"How about Carpacio's?" Peter asked.

"That place is really fancy," Mike said.

"So?" Micky answered. "We can afford it."

"Sure, but we should be saving," Mike said. Micky nearly reached out and smacked Mike.

"We deserve one night of extravagance I think," Micky said.

"Alright, what about Davy?" Mike asked caving.

"We'll talk to him when he gets home," Peter said. "But I doubt he'll object." As the day progressed, the boys made all the arrangements needed. Davy still hadn't come home, as it was his job to keep the girls out, but he'd called and Micky had told him of their "plan". He agreed to meet them there. At the end of the day, Mike went upstairs to change and Micky and Peter each did what they planned.

"Oh, man," Peter mumbled, "my pants ripped."

"There's a tailor up the street that can mend it," Micky said.

"Good idea," Peter said.

"Darn it," Micky mumbled putting on his shoes. "My shoe's broken. I guess we can hit the cobbler nearby as well. Mike, we'll meet you at the restaurant."

"Why don't I just go with you guys?" Mike asked.

"Don't worry about us," Micky said. "Davy's gonna meet you there anyway. We won't be long. Just meet us there."

"Alright," Mike sighed with a shrug of his shoulders. Micky grinned rather wickedly behind Mike's back. Their plan was coming together perfectly.

* * *

About an hour later, Mike pulled up to the restaurant and put the car in park. He wasn't sure what his friends were up to, but he had an idea they were scheming something. But until he figured it out, he'd just go along with it. Besides, they'd never do anything to hurt him. Not intentionally, anyway. So Mike pocketed the keys and walked to front door. Once inside, he walked to the host counter and started to ask for a table, but the host smiled at him and spoke up first.

"Welcome, Mr. Nesmith," he said. "I have your table all set and waiting for you. And your friend is already here."

"Oh," Mike said shocked a little, but then realized Davy must have already shown up and picked out their table. So he smiled and followed the host back through the restaurant. "Thank you."

"You're friends have already talked to us," the host said leading him to a table, "and told us that if you need anything to ask for it."

"Um," Mike said as he realized it wasn't Davy sitting at the table. He was stunned when he saw Valerie sitting there in a beautiful tight black dress. She looked as beautiful as she had on prom night and was even wearing the same earrings and necklace.

"Mike," she said also seemingly stunned.

"Valerie," Mike said. "What's going on? I was supposed to meet the guys here for a celebration."

"I was supposed to meet the girls," Valerie said.

"It looks like we were set up," Mike said as the waiter came over and handed Mike a note.

"I'll have your order shortly," the waiter said.

"Our order?" Valerie questioned.

"Oh boy," Mike said reading the note.

"What?" Valerie asked taking the note from him.

"It would appear we've been set up," Mike said. "It seems Ginny and Micky and the others told us each they'd meet us here so we could go out on a date."

"I see," Valerie said hiding a smile.

"I'm really sorry about all this," Mike said. "Look, why don't I just take us home?"

"Why?" Valerie asked. "They went through a lot of trouble to set this up for us. They even paid for everything. Why not just enjoy it?"

"If you really want to," Mike said sitting down. The waiter came back and brought their drinks before lighting a few candles on the table.

"Oh my," Valerie snickered.

"I'm sorry," Mike said again.

"It's nothing;" Valerie laughed. "I'm just not really into this whole romance thing. Never have been."

"Yeah, I know," Mike smiled. "Me neither. But then again, I haven't ever been on many dates."

"Is that what you wanna call this?" Valerie asked.

"That's what they're calling it," Mike said.

"That's not what I asked," Valerie said.

"I don't really know," Mike said.

"Look, why don't you stop playing me for a fool here," Valerie said. "Stop beating around the bush. I know who that song was written for. That girl you said possibly could be if only she didn't live so far away, doesn't anymore. She chose to live here. With you. For a reason."

"For a reason?" Mike echoed.

"Look, why don't we just be perfectly honest with each other tonight?" Valerie said. "We can do whatever we want tonight. Just have fun. And tomorrow, we can forget all about it. If we want."

"Like a trial run?" Mike asked.

"Sure, if that's what you want to call it," Valerie said.

"Ok," Mike said not sure how he felt about all this. He did love Valerie with all his heart, but he valued their friendship. What if they did something to ruin it by exploring something more? "Ladies first."

"Fine," Valerie said. "You've had my heart for a long time, Mike. Ever since you stole my crayon."

"What?" Mike asked.

"You don't remember, do you?" Valerie asked.

"Apparently not," Mike answered.

"I was coloring a picture of a fairy and an ogre in kindergarten," Valerie said. "Of course I didn't really want to color the fairy, but it was all they had. I was getting ready to color the ogre and you stole the green crayon from me. I was about to hit you and demand it back when you smiled at me and handed me the blue crayon. Do you remember what you said?"

"No," Mike answered.

"You said why do ogres have to be green?" Valerie smiled. "Asked why they can't be blue and explained that green was your favorite color. That day blue became mine. That day you made me think. Made me realize it was ok to live outside the box. Throw conformity out the window. That day I fell in love with you."

"Oh…" Mike trailed off, not really sure what to say. Had she really loved him that long? How long had he loved her? "I...I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Valerie answered. "You already told me."

"I did?" Mike asked.

"Your song," Valerie answered. "It really was beautiful."

"You're beautiful," Mike said before he could catch himself. Valerie smiled and placed her hand on top of his. He felt a shiver go down his spine at the touch, but a good kind of shiver. One that made him feel warm and complete. They spent the rest of the evening just talking about their lives. About how they'd ride horses together on the ranch and how they'd run over the other girls dolls with trucks.

At the end of the night when they finally walked out to the car, Mike didn't really know what to do. He guessed she was seeing this as a date and so were his friends, but he still was terrified of losing their friendship if something went south between them as lovers. But still, he couldn't ignore what he'd felt when she'd touched him. And now he couldn't ignore the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to kiss her. Deeply. He wanted to hold her and never let her go.

Before he could make up his mind, Valerie stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her so she could kiss him. He felt his entire body tingle with the sensation. From the hair on the top of his head to the nails on the toes of his foot. His entire body melted into her arms and he couldn't fight any feelings he had for her anymore. He couldn't fight the groan that escaped his lips either. Unfortunately he had to pull away from her before she felt the pleasure building in his pants.

"We should...um...we should go home now," Mike said.

"Yes," Valerie whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Mike answered.


	8. The Dating Game

Author's Note: Thanks to BluCrayons, my wonderful friend and beta. Love ya!

Chapter 8: The Dating Game

That night, Mike lie in bed in complete happiness. Valerie had given him the choice of choosing whether or not they should forget their date that night, but she had made it abundantly clear she didn't want to. He was still terrified of screwing things up and losing her as a friend, but something in him refused to throw this chance away. This was the happiest he'd been in a long time. And how could he just throw that away? He loved her. He knew that now.

Because of that, he decided he wouldn't forget their date. He wasn't sure when it was he really had fallen in love with her, but he wasn't sure how much that really mattered. What mattered was she loved him and he loved her. He dreamed about her; about the things he wanted to do to her and the way he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Even though he dreamed of her, he knew they had to go slow.

When he woke up the next morning, they talked for a long time. He told her that he wanted to at least try it, but he was afraid of losing her as a friend if something went wrong. In response, she wrapped her arms tightly around him and kissed him. Her kiss once again sent his body soaring to places he wasn't sure he wanted to go yet. He shifted himself away from her a little so she wouldn't feel it. When she finally pulled away from the kiss, she assured him that nothing could spoil their friendship and she doubted anything would go wrong with them anyway.

Ginny and Micky were very pleased with themselves and looked on in happiness as the two spent the next several months dating. Valerie still lived with them, as the house she and Ginny had picked out would take a few months before they could move into it, so it was rather easy for them to date. He took her to the movies a few times, or picnics on the beach followed by long walks along the shore. She usually took her shoes off and ran through the waves crashing onto the beach, enjoying the wet sand between her toes. Mike eventually joined her and on one occasion they just stood there, embracing each other in a long, deep kiss with the water licking at their ankles.

One thing she loved doing was skating, so a few nights they went to the local roller rink, much to his chagrin. He wasn't much of a dancer, and something about moving around on skates seemed worse, but she loved it and taught him how. He fell flat on his backside several times and each time, though she giggled at him, she helped him back up before leading him back out again. It took a few trips before he could finally skate with her without falling down and though he still didn't think skating was fun, it didn't matter to him because he was with her. It didn't matter what they did; everything with her made him the happiest man on earth.

Every time he was with her, he felt as though he were floating through the air. When she kissed him, his entire body reacted but he couldn't allow himself to get that close to her. He didn't want her to feel the way she made him react. Not just yet. He wanted to eventually move to that point, but for now, he wanted to play it safe and slow. But yet, thoughts of her filled his dreams which made it difficult to sleep with his friends sometimes.

As it grew closer to the date the girls would be allowed to move into the new house, Mike asked Valerie if she'd be having her furniture shipped from her home in New Jersey or if they had to go shopping for new furniture. Valerie and Ginny said they didn't have much of their own stuff since they lived with their parents, so Mike and the boys took them shopping a few weeks before their move in date, asking the salesperson to hold the items until they could deliver them to the house.

It was going to take nearly 5 months for them to move in and in those months, all 6 grew very close to each other. There had been several more cookies left on the doorstep which Mike always threw away and the boys had booked a few gigs, inviting the girls to play a few songs, too. Even though Sebastian's trial date had been set for a few months after his arrest, his attorney had filed several motions slowing the process down and extending the date. Mike and the boys didn't mind so much. That just meant he would stay in jail that much longer. But Ginny and Valerie were growing impatient about it. Mike wasn't really sure why and he wasn't sure he should ask.

About a month before their move in date and a few weeks before Sebastian's trial, Mike and Valerie were alone in the Pad; Davy, Peter, Micky and Ginny had gone out shopping about an hour earlier. Mike was skimming the paper after having done the dishes and looked up briefly to see Valerie standing outside on the patio. She had her back to him and was staring at the ocean down below, but Mike could tell by her stature that something was wrong. So he put down the paper and walked outside to lean against the railing with her.

"Everything ok?" Mike asked softly trying to let her know that he wasn't trying to pry, but was worried, nonetheless.

"Yeah, I just…" Valerie started. "I found another box of cookies."

"You'd think whoever was dropping them off would get the message," Mike said. "I'm starting to think maybe it is just an obsessed fan like Micky thinks."

"What if it isn't?" Valerie asked.

"Sebastian can't do much behind bars," Mike said. "He's pretty well monitored. I checked into it."

"Of course you did," Valerie smiled a little, "but that's not who I mean."

"I can't think of anyone else," Mike answered.

"Mason," Valerie said simply.

"Mason?" Mike echoed.

"You heard Ginny," Valerie said. "He said he knew Mason. He told Ginny he would tell Mason where I was if Ginny ever betrayed him. What if he made good on his word? What if these are from Mason? They're not poisoned but some sort of stalker thing."

"I guess I never thought about that," Mike said.

"I…" Valerie trailed off looking out at the ocean again.

"What is it?" Mike asked wrapping his arms around her. He knew her well enough to know she was scared, but she didn't want to admit it; she didn't want to seem weak or burden people with her problems. "You can tell me anything; you know that right? I'm not gonna see you any different."

"I'm scared," Valerie said after a minute.

"I know you are," Mike said. "But I promise, I won't let him touch you. And we don't even know for sure Sebastian said anything to Mason. And Sebastian probably thinks that you went back home anyway. So even if he did tell Mason, he probably told Mason you were in New Jersey."

"That puts my father in danger," Valerie said.

"I don't think Mason would hurt your father," Mike admitted. "I think that he'd just come after one of us. But don't worry, I'll protect you. I love you."

"I love you, too," Valerie said smiling and looking at him finally. "Let's talk about something else now. One thing I wanted to talk about while the others were gone: have you noticed Micky and Ginny?"

"Noticed them?" Mike asked with a laugh. "I can feel the sexual tension pouring off them. I'm nearly drowning in it."

"Well, since they did us the favor of fixing us up, maybe we should return the favor," Valerie smiled with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"You mean set them up?" Mike asked laughing a little.

"It would only be fair," Valerie smiled.

"Yes, but I wonder why they haven't done it themselves," Mike said.

"Well, I think I have an idea," Valerie answered. "And we'll have to work our way past both those issues before we can do anything."

"What?" Mike asked.

"Well, with Micky, it's simple," Valerie said. "It's the friend code thing. You don't date the friend of a friend."

"I always thought it was no dating the ex girlfriend," Mike said. "Lots of people date their friends' friends."

"It's a little of both here," Valerie said. "Some take it more seriously than others. Apparently Micky takes it pretty damn seriously. And he sees you like a brother. And you definitely don't date your brothers friends."

"Well, isn't he stubborn?" Mike laughed.

"Yeah," Valerie said. "But I like it though. It shows his character. He cares a lot about you and doesn't want to hurt you or push your friends away. You're afraid of something happening to us; well, Micky's afraid of the same thing. He doesn't want something to happen to them and push Ginny away from you."

"Makes sense," Mike said. "But it's not gonna happen with Ginny. She's more mature than that."

"I know that," Valerie said. "And you know that. We just have to convince him of that. That you're ok with it."

"So why hasn't she asked him out?" Mike asked.

"That's a little harder to figure out, but I still think I know the reason," Valerie said. "I think she's afraid of a rebound relationship."

"I can see why she'd be afraid of that," Mike agreed. "But I don't think they'd be a rebound relationship is we got them together. They're so compatible. They're pretty perfect for each other. And I think there's been enough time between her split with Sebastian. But we should make sure she's really ready for another relationships. Emotionally."

"I think they'd be really good together, too," Valerie said. "And I want to make sure she's ready, too. Look, you know Micky a lot better than I do and I know Ginny a bit better. So why don't you talk to Micky and I'll talk to Ginny. See if we can't get the two of them to at least feel comfortable going out."

"I think that's an excellent idea," Mike said leaning over to wrap Valerie in his arms to kiss her passionately. As a surprised and excited moan escaped her lips, Mike moved his hips away from her to hide the response in his pants. But Valerie wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him to her so tightly that he couldn't escape. He knew she had to have felt him pressed firm against her.

Mike didn't know what to do; he wasn't ready to move to the next level with her, not because he didn't want her, because he did. He desperately wanted her. But he was still afraid of going too far, messing things up and losing her forever. Luckily for him, however, they heard the front door open and close rather loudly as Ginny and the boys came home. Since they were no longer alone, they pulled away from each other quickly. But Mike kept his back to them until he could relax a little.

"I love you," Valerie whispered in his ear before going inside. Mike's mind was swimming with thoughts. Why had she pulled him so tightly to her? They'd spent the last few months comfortably just making out and not really going any further. Had she wanted to go further? Was that her way of telling him? He wasn't sure he wanted to just yet. He didn't want to rush too fast. He didn't even really know what to do. He'd seen some things on TV, but that was it. He hadn't ever been with anyone like that. He wondered if she had. He didn't even know if he should ask her. But he knew that eventually they'd have to talk about it. And the thought of having that conversation petrified him.

Mike waited a few minutes before going inside and joining his friends, forcing himself to focus on them so his mind wouldn't drift to thoughts of Valerie again. They were talking about the things they'd bought excitedly. Micky bought a model car that he could build while Davy bought a new outfit and Peter bought a new book. Ginny had made a few purchases for their new house, but had also bought herself a new book, too. Mike kept an eye on her and Micky the whole time and found it hard not to smile as they kept stealing looks at each other, each hoping the other wouldn't notice. They definitely really liked each other and would be perfect together.


	9. Court

Author's Note: Wow, with no school, I'm cranking these out. Hope you like it! Thanks to BluCrayons for being such an awesome and inspiring beta!

Chapter 9: Court

Over the next few weeks, Mike and Valerie tried to find the time to talk to Micky and Ginny, but there really wasn't a very good time. They were busy trying to finalize everything on the house and get the stuff moved in and set up. And they were never really alone. The only time they were alone is when Sebastian's trial started. Ginny was the first to testify against him and as much as Mike and Valerie wanted to be there for her in the courtroom, the court wouldn't allow it because they would have to testify too, and if they saw any part of the trial, it could skew their testimony. So they all waited for her out in the hallway after the clerk called her inside.

"I just don't understand why he would even think he can get away with something like this!" Valerie growled angrily as she paced the hall. "How is he not just pleading guilty!? How does he possibly think he can fight this!?"

"Valerie, please calm down," Mike said from his spot on the bench next to Peter, Micky and Davy. "I know you're upset, but he's not gonna get away with this."

"We shouldn't even have to deal with this," Valerie said. "That son of a bitch should just take what's coming to him. Instead, he's putting her through this. It's killing her doing this."

"No, it's not," Mike said. "No more so than it is you. She's strong. She's scared, yes, but she can do this. That's what he's banking on. He's hoping she's gonna be too damn scared to testify against him. That she's gonna go in there and see him and freak out. She's gonna change her story."

"She's not gonna do that," Valerie said continuing to pace. Micky, Peter and Davy stayed silent knowing if anyone could calm her down, it was Mike.

"I know she's not," Mike said standing up and grabbing her by her shoulders to forcefully stop her. "I swear I can see smoke coming out of your shoes. Stop. Breathe. Relax."

"What if we're wrong?" Valerie said so softly that he barely heard her. "What if she does change her testimony? She gets so scared he's gonna hurt me or you? That's what this was always about. She stayed with him to protect me."

"Don't think that way, sweetie," Mike said pulling her tightly into his arms and kissing the top of her head softly. "She's smarter than that. And she knows that I'm here now. You've got me looking out for you. And Micky and Davy and Peter. Whether you like it or not."

"I know," Valerie said smiling against him and pulling him close to her. "I'm just scared. There's always a chance…"

"Not this time," Mike assured her. "He can't get off. Not even his dad's supporting him. That's why he doesn't have a fancy, high powered attorney like we thought we would. He has a court-appointed one. His dad cut him off. He's got nothing left so he's clinging to his innocence."

"Thanks, Mike," Valerie said looking up at him with a smile. "You always know what to say. I love you."

"I love you, too," Mike said leaning down to kiss her.

"Get a room," Micky laughed.

"Jealous?" Valerie quipped laughing at him.

"Valerie Miller?" came the voice of the bailiff before Micky could even answer. It was Valerie's turn to testify. After Valerie testified, Mike did. He saw her and Ginny sitting next to each other in the seats behind the prosecutor's table. Valerie nodded at him to let him know everything was ok and he proceeded to once again tell his story. The defence attorney tried to discredit his testimony, but Mike stood firm behind everything he said he saw.

Micky, Davy and Peter all said the same exact thing. No detail varied. They'd gone to the hotel to talk to Ginny on suspicion she was being abused based on multiple bruises and injuries. They'd heard Ginny cry "please don't" behind the door. They'd heard him tell her to shut up. They'd heard a crash. They pushed their way in thinking Ginny was in danger. They'd found her naked on the floor with just a towel around her and Sebastian standing over her with his pants undone and fists clenched. They'd confronted him. He'd pulled a gun on them. They'd fought back. They'd called the cops. They'd taken Ginny to the hospital. Yes, Valerie had thrown a fire-poker at him, but she was angry. And she'd missed.

After the boys all testified, the trial ended for the day, but they wanted to watch the rest of it. So the next day, they filed in and watched as the forensic side of the trial started. The prosecutor called the doctor who'd treated Ginny in the hospital. He testified that her injuries were consistent with battery, not an accident. Not falling down the stairs or walking into the door. The defense tried to assert that she caused the injuries herself, but the doctor stood firm saying it was impossible. The injuries she sustained were far too painful for to have done them to herself. And she could not have hit herself in the back of the head causing the lacerations back there.

After the doctor, the two detectives testified to what they saw and the information they'd gathered. They'd apparently interviewed numerous people back in New Jersey, including a few ex-girlfriends who'd filed claims of abuse against Sebastian. No charges had been filed in those cases because the victims always dropped their complaints before anything ever went to trial. There was even an incident of attempted rape reported to the headmaster at the prep school he went to as a teenager. That case was buried under red tape and eventually forgotten.

The defense then called their witnesses the next day; they didn't call very many and Mike was thankful that the attorney seemed so inept. Mike didn't know much about the law, but he knew that the prosecution shouldn't have been allowed to bring up old charges that Sebastian was never tried for, but the attorney never once objected. The first witness he called was a character witness for Sebastian who tried to claim Sebastian was a good and peaceful man. Luckily he buckled under the pressure of the prosecutor and eventually admitted that sometimes Sebastian has a temper. Luckily the next witness went much the same way. It was an ex-girlfriend they'd found who eventually buckled as well and admitted that Sebastian liked to control what she wore.

The trial was over quickly. Much faster than Mike thought it would be, but the defense barely fought back. Mike wasn't exactly going to complain; that just meant it was better for them. Sure enough, the jury only took an hour to come back with their verdict: guilty on all counts; attempted rape, aggravated assault, and multiple counts of domestic battery. The judge decided that he would sentence Sebastian the following week and court was over with a bang of the gavel. It was as if this sound was a shot that rang through the room. Sebastian, who'd been smug and defiant the who trial, finally seemed to realize what was going on. And he snapped.

"You little whore!" Sebastian exclaimed attempting to climb over the railing and reach Ginny and Valerie. Even though he was really much too far away to do any real harm, the boys each grabbed the girls and pulled them far away into the the corner to keep them protected.

"Get your client under control!" the judge demanded. But Sebastian was too angry and too unruly. The court bailiffs immediately moved to restrain Sebastian but he put up a fight and kept screaming.

"This isn't over!" Sebastian roared. "You think you won, you little bitch? This isn't over! I will get you for this! You can make damn sure of that! I'll fucking kill you! All of you little bastards!"

"Get him out of here!" the judge yelled over the chaos. The bailiffs eventually tackled Sebastian to the ground and cuffed him before dragging him, still screaming and yelling, out of the room.

"You ok?" Mike asked turning to Ginny when he had finally been dragged from the room and they couldn't hear him screaming anymore.

"I'm so sorry," Ginny said breaking down in tears. "I…"

"Don't," Valerie said pulling Ginny close to her. "Don't apologize. Don't worry. He can't touch us. He won't."

"He's in jail now," Peter said. "He can't hurt you anymore."

"You don't know that," Ginny said wiping tears from her eyes. "He could…"

"Stop it," Valerie said pulling her even tighter. "He's not gonna get to any of us. It's gonna be ok. It's all over now."

"Why don't we go get some food or something," Micky suggested placing his hand comfortingly on her back.

"I think that's a great idea," Mike said. "Let's go get some burgers. You love burgers."

"Yeah," Ginny said, though she still looked very upset by everything that had transpired. They drove to a nearby restaurant and ate happily. Ginny cheered up after a while, but she still seemed a little depressed and upset about Sebastian's explosion in court. Over the next few days, however, she seemed to get better and better with it and by the time it came for them to completely move in to their new house, she was excited.

The house itself was a beautiful two story, two bedroom beach house, not unlike the one the boys lived in. But it was a lot smaller. The boys had helped paint the walls and arrange the furniture the way the girls liked it and Peter had even set up a planter box on their porch that overlooked the ocean for them to plant flowers in whenever they wanted to. Mike helped Valerie and Ginny unpack Ginny's room while the others were downstairs unpacking the kitchen.

"Hey, Ginny, I wanted to talk to you about something," Valerie said sitting on the end of Ginny's bed folding a box of clothes.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"Do you like Micky?" Valerie asked.

"Well, isn't that blunt," Mike laughed.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny blushed.

"Micky," Valerie repeated. "Curly haired drummer who's downstairs helping us with our kitchen? Do you like him?"

"Well, he's cute," Ginny admitted.

"That's not what I asked," Valerie smiled slyly. "I already know you like him. I can see it the way you look at him."

"Ok, yes, I like him," Ginny sighed. "I like him a lot, but I'm just not ready."

"I know you just got out of a bad relationship, but you can't let that control you," Valerie said. "If you have feelings for him, you should do something about it."

"And what makes you think he's even interested in me?" Ginny asked.

"Because he is," Mike answered.

"Then why hasn't he shown me he likes me?" Ginny asked.

"Because he's afraid of this friend code thing," Mike answered. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him. But we wanted to make sure you were ready first."

"I just said I wasn't," Ginny said. "Especially after what happened in court."

"You are," Valerie said. "You're just too scared to admit it. And what happened in court is nothing. Sebastian just being stupid. It's time you got back on the horse, girly, and with someone you really, really like."

"Gee, thanks for expressing my feelings for me," Ginny laughed.

"You know I'm right," Valerie said.

"I think what Valerie is trying to say is that you deserve to move on," Mike said. "Forget about Sebastian. He's nothing. Put him behind you. You deserve to be happy. And we both know you well enough to know that you'll be happy with Micky. The way you two look at each other...you're nuts about each other. You're just each too damn chicken to do anything about it. Too busy getting hung up on something and using it as an excuse."

"None of this matters if he won't go out with me," Ginny said.

"Like I said," Mike smiled. "I'll talk to him. Don't worry about that."

"Fine," Ginny said taking the clothes from Valerie and putting them in the dresser. Later that night, the boys had moved all their stuff back into their own separate rooms and as Mike and Micky started getting ready for bed, Mike brought up Ginny.

"Hey, so thanks for everything you've done to help Ginny out," Mike said. "It really means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it," Micky answered. "It's nothing. Any friend of yours is a friend of ours."

"That's just it, Mick," Mike said. "You know it doesn't have to be that way."

"What are you talking about?" Micky asked.

"Well, if you ever wanted to...you know, be more than friends with someone, I'd support you," Mike said. "Even if it was one of my friends."

"Where is this coming from?" Micky asked.

"I'm not blind, Micky," Mike said. "We all see the way you look at her. You like her."

"Like who?" Micky asked. "Look at who?"

"Ginny," Mike said getting annoyed. "You like her. She likes you. Everyone can feel it. Everyone knows it."

"She just ended a horrible engagement," Micky said.

"Yes, she did," Mike answered. "All the more reason for her to find the right guy. One who'll treat her right. Don't you think?"

"Of course," Micky said. "But I doubt she's even ready. And you're right, she's your friend."

"I just told you that doesn't make a difference to me," Mike said. "I appreciate you wanting to look out for me and my feelings, but honestly, I'd rather her be with someone like you than anyone else. After what she's been through, I really don't even trust anyone else. And we already talked to her. She likes you a lot and Valerie and I both think she deserves to move on."

"So what are you saying?" Micky asked.

"What I'm saying is that Valerie and I are returning the favor," Mike smiled. "We've already made arrangements for you and Ginny to have dinner tomorrow night at the same restaurant you had us go to. We just wanted you both to be prepared so you could both get over your hang ups about being with each other."

"I'm not hung up," Micky said.

"You're very hung up, Micky," Mike answered. "You're hung up on this notion that you can't date her cause she's my friend. Get over it, cause you're going out tomorrow night and that's that."


	10. Date Night

Author's Note: This is kinda short, but I had a really, really long chapter here unintentionally, so I decided to split it between two chapters. So you get a double post today. Hope you enjoy. Special thanks as always to BluCrayons.

Chapter 10: Date Night

Micky walked through the restaurant the next day and back to the table Mike and Valerie had reserved for them. He was nervous as hell, but he tried not to let it show. He wasn't exactly sure why he was so nervous; he'd dated plenty of women before. But none like Ginny. None as beautiful, smart, funny, or with such a passion and light for life. And none with as beautiful a voice as her. All the work he'd done to hide his nerves disappeared when he saw her sitting at the table waiting for him.

She had a beautiful, long, purple dress that sunk low in the front showing off two of her best assets. Her beautiful red hair was up in a braid with a few strands framing her face. Her beautiful green eyes sparkled as she smiled when she saw him. He was struck temporarily speechless and felt his pants begin to get a little tight just at the mere sight of her.

"Hi," he said quickly sitting down, hoping to hide his reaction to how beautiful she was. It wasn't that much of a reaction, but his pants weren't exactly loose.

"Hi," Ginny answered.

"So…" Micky started unsure of what to really say.

"So," Ginny answered. He could tell she was just as nervous as he was.

"Do you really even wanna be here?" Micky asked then realized what he'd said. "Wait. That came out wrong."

"No, it's fine," Ginny laughed. "They're doing the same thing to us we did to them. I guess its only fair, right?"

"I guess," Micky said. "What I should have said was do you even like me? Do you want to be out with me tonight?"

"Yeah," Ginny answered. "Sure, I like you. I've always liked you. There was something about your voice that just drew me to you the minute I saw you."

"I understand," Micky said. "I felt the same way when I heard you."

"So...um...why didn't you ask me out?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

"I wasn't sure you liked me for one," Micky said.

"And for two?" Ginny asked.

"It's complicated," Micky answered.

"It's not like we don't have enough time," Ginny said. "Our meals haven't even come out yet."

"I didn't want to push you before you were ready," Micky admitted. "And you're Mike's best friend."

"I was afraid of that," Ginny said sadly. "I don't want a rebound relationship. And I don't want you thinking that this is a rebound relationship."

"Who said I thought that at all?" Micky asked.

"You just said you were afraid I wasn't ready," Ginny said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I think you want a rebound relationship," Micky said. "I don't even understand the idea of a rebound. I mean, if it's just dating for dating's sake then where's the connection? There's nothing there. It's not a relationship. There's no real point in that, is there?"

"So do you feel something?" Ginny asked.

"I feel something," Micky said. "And I'm guessing you do, too, otherwise Valerie and Mike wouldn't have gone through all this just to set us up. But I'm also guessing you didn't want to go out because you were afraid that's all this would be."

"You're good," Ginny smiled.

"Well, this, whatever this is," Micky said, "is whatever you want it to be. If you see this as a rebound relationship, than that's all it will be."

"That's very well said," Ginny said still smiling. "But let's go back to the other reason you wouldn't ask me out...you said it was because I'm Mike's best friend."

"Yeah," Micky answered. "Well, I don't wanna ruin anything the two of you have together. Mike's like a brother to me."

"Nothing that happens between us could impact what happens between me and Mike," Ginny said. "I think we're both adult enough to not let that happen. And besides that, I'm more Valerie's friend than Mike's. Valerie and I met when we were kids. We grew up together, but I wasn't ever that close to Mike until the latter part of high school. Even then, not so much."

"Why's that?" Micky asked as their meals were brought out. "I mean if you and Valerie were best friends and he and Valerie were best friends, then wouldn't it stand to reason you and Mike hung out a lot?"

"Well, you know him," Ginny said. "He doesn't open up. To anyone. It's a surprise he even opened up to her. Like I said, he was more Valerie's friend than mine. Besides that, he wouldn't have set this up if he weren't ok with it."

"That's true," Micky said. "He told me that he was ok with it, too. Said that after everything you'd been through, he'd prefer you be with me than anyone else, really."

"He said that?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Micky answered. "He cares about you more than you think."

"I guess he does," Ginny said. "He's such a private person. It's so hard to read him sometimes."

"Sometimes," Micky answered laughing. "Even for us. And we've lived with him for years. Been through hell and back. Pretty much literally."

"Literally?" Ginny asked. Micky smiled and told her the stories of the adventures the boys had shared over the years. Including their conflict with the Devil. They had told her a few before this, but not in as much detail as this. And Micky wasn't sure she really believed them the first time he told these stories. She was in awe over some of the things they had seen and done over the years and now seemed to believe him as she asked questions about the details of the events. He had to admit, looking from the outside, he might disbelieve that they'd done and seen the things they had.

"So how did you and Valerie meet?" Micky asked.

"She's my hero," Ginny giggled a little. Micky looked at her questioningly as she continued. "There aren't a lot of redheads in Texas. Especially not like mine. So I was always teased mercilessly. One day when I was 8, this group of boys pushed me into a dung pile and were laughing at me. Valerie, of course, took offense to that. She walked right up to them and told them to apologize. After pulling me out of the dung, of course. I was humiliated, of course, but the boys just kept laughing. They started teasing Valerie for standing up for me, so she took a handful of the dung and flung it at them. She chased them all the way up the road, just pelting them with dung before taking me back to her house to shower."

"Damn," Micky said. "Really? Dung?"

"I smelled awful for a week," Ginny said. "I felt so bad about it that Valerie didn't shower for a week so she could smell bad, too. Just so I wouldn't be alone."

"That's uh...nice…" Micky laughed. "That must have been awful."

"It was," Ginny said. "We both smelled awful."

"What happened to the boys?" Micky asked out of curiosity. He knew Valerie enough by now to know that she probably didn't let them get away with what they'd done. Throwing dung at them didn't seem like revenge enough for Valerie.

"She tormented them the rest of the year until they apologized," Ginny said. "She put frogs in their backpacks. She tripped them with piano wire once. She shoved one of them in the gym lockers at school and locked it a week before she poured inflatable foam in their lockers once. They kept up until she finally pantsed their leader."

"She what!?" Micky asked agast.

"Well, they shoved me in shit," Ginny laughed. "She thought they deserved it. We were 8. He was wearing undies. Pink undies."

"Pink?" Micky laughed.

"He tried to say his mom accidentally dyed them," Ginny laughed.

"Oh my God," Micky laughed. "Remind me never to piss her off."

"You didn't catch that from what she did to Sebastian?" Ginny laughed.

"No, no," Micky said subconsciously crossing his legs. "I got it then, too. But that also brings up another fear of dating you. I'd like to keep my family jewels."

"Just don't hurt me," Ginny smiled.

"I won't," Micky smiled back. "I'm too afraid of Valerie at this point. Besides, I could never hurt someone as beautiful as you."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, my friend," Ginny laughed. He loved her laugh. Her eyes sparkled when she laughed. It was one of the few times he really saw light in her eyes. He hoped that that light stayed there. Now that Sebastian was out of her life and she could be happy. They sat there for the rest of the night, just talking. Micky's nerves soon dissipated and he found himself laughing and forgetting about everything else around him. Including the time. It wasn't until the waiter came back and cleared his throat that Micky realized they'd been there for over 3 hours and the restaurant was closing. He looked at Ginny, not even wanting the evening to end at all, but knowing they had to at least leave the restaurant.

"Now what?" Ginny said suggesting she didn't want to the night to end either.

"We could always just go for a walk," Micky said. "The beach isn't that far from here."

"Sounds great to me," Ginny smiled. They soon found themselves on the beach, sitting on the sand and staring at the waves sitting almost silent in the moonlight. "This is what I love about California."

"You had a beach in New Jersey," Micky said.

"Yeah, but it's so cold," Ginny said. "I don't like the cold. Neither does Valerie. That's one of the reasons we moved here. Even during the summer it's a little chilly. It's nice to go down to the beach for only a little bit out of the year. Here, it's different. It's warmer. You can enjoy the beach longer out of the year."

"Yeah, but what about your family?" Micky asked. "And Valerie's family? Weren't you sad to leave them behind?"

"Of course she was," Ginny said. "Her father is an amazing man. She loves him more than anything in the world. And he loves her just as much. It was hard for her to leave, but he would want her more than anything to follow her dreams."

"Her dreams?" Micky asked.

"Music," Ginny said. "I can see it in her eyes whenever she gets behind a drumset. It's kinda the same look you get. She has more of a chance of following her dreams out here than in New Jersey. Her dad encouraged to stay here. She was studying psychology at home and she loved it, too, but music will always be first for her."

"What about you?" Micky asked. "You didn't tell me about your family."

"I don't have any family," Ginny answered quickly.

"I'm sorry," Micky said.

"They're not dead," Ginny answered. "It's kinda a long story, but it's a choice I made. They're abusive. Dad beat my mom. I swore that I'd never let that happen to me...guess I failed there."

"You didn't fail," Micky said. "What happened to you is not your fault, whatsoever."

"Of course it is," Ginny said. "I shouldn't have stayed after the first time he hit me."

"You said you stayed because you were scared," Micky said. "He threatened Valerie. It's different when he threatens other people. You were terrified of someone you love getting hurt. That doesn't make it your fault at all." Ginny opened her mouth to argue again and Micky couldn't think of anything else to do to make her stop talking and convince her that it wasn't her fault, so he kissed her. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her close to him. He kissed her deeply, trying to convey that nothing that happened to her was her fault with a simple kiss. When he finally pulled away from her, he looked softly into her eyes.

"Wow," Ginny said softly.

"Listen to me," Micky breathed. "I don't ever want to hear you talk about what happened being your fault ever again. It wasn't. No way in hell. You hear me?"

"Yes," Ginny said. "Thank you."


	11. The Talk

Author's Note: This is kinda long, but I had a really, really long chapter here unintentionally, so I decided to split it between two chapters. This is the second part of it. So you get a double post today. Hope you enjoy. Special thanks as always to BluCrayons.

Chapter 11: The Talk

"Hey, Mike, can we talk for a second?" Valerie said. They had gone out on a date of their own and Mike was just dropping them off. He had kissed her good-night and was ready to leave when she grabbed his wrist.

"Sure," Mike said as she pulled him inside. She wasn't exactly giving him much of a choice, though. "What's the matter?"

"Every time you kiss me, you pull away," Valerie said.

"What?" Mike asked slightly confused. He would admit that he pulled his hips away, but he didn't actually pull away from her entirely.

"You pull away," Valerie said. "You even did it just now. You back your hips away from me. Why?"

"Uh...I…" Mike stuttered a little. He wasn't really sure what to say. He knew she was right, but the whole point of doing it was so she didn't know about his reaction.

"Is it because you don't want me to feel you?" Valerie asked. "Cause it's ok. I would actually be offended if you didn't react that way."

"Well, I uh...I just don't want to move too fast," Mike said.

"We've been dating for over 5 months now," Valerie said. "And we love each other. We both know it. It's ok for you to feel that way."

"Are you saying you actually want to, you know…" Mike trailed off.

"Maybe," Valerie said leading him over to the couch. "But we'll never know if you keep shying away from it."

"I'm not shying away," Mike said. "I'm just…I don't want to push you. Or rush anything. Yes, we've been together awhile, but I don't think there's really a standard timeline for this kind of thing."

"I'm not saying we have to have sex, Michael," Valerie said. "I'm just saying, don't be afraid of your body's natural reactions."

"I'm not," Mike said, though he wasn't entirely sure that was the truth.

"You are," Valerie said placing a hand on his chest and pushing him down on the couch softly. "Now can we try that good-night kiss again?"

"Uh…" Mike started but stopped when she straddled him on the couch, braced herself by placing both hands on the back of the couch on either side of him, and leaned down to kiss him. Any objection he may have had was caught in his throat as she pulled his bottom lip into her mouth, sucking gently. He groaned a little in response and felt his pants tightening again. Not that it had relaxed that much from the first time they'd kissed that night only a few minutes ago. Instinctively, he tried to move his hips away, but she only pressed her hips into him further.

When she pressed her hips into his, he felt her own reaction to him. She was warm and slightly damp between her own legs, and pushing into him only made her warmer. She groaned a little herself as she carefully rocked her hips against him, brushing against his ever tightening pants. The feel of her brushing against him pushed him farther into a state he wasn't sure he wanted to be in. He pulled away from her slightly and gasped at the feeling.

"Oh God," Mike breathed. Valerie giggled a little at his reaction.

"Haven't you ever done anything like this?" Valerie asked.

"No," Mike choked out hoarsely. He cleared his throat a little before continuing. "Not really. Have you?"

"A little," Valerie answered lowering her head to kiss his neck softly. Mike felt a shiver go down his spine as her lips lightly brushed over his skin and his eyes rolled up in the back of his head a little. His pants were almost becoming too tight for comfort. He couldn't help but let his desire grow further, pressing even further into her. In response, she got even warmer and damper. He was quickly losing all control even as she whispered in his ear. "Put your hands on my hips."

"Ok," was all Mike could say. His voice was almost gone. He did as she was asked and wrapped his hands on her hips as she moved to kiss him again. As she deepened the kiss, Mike subconsciously let his hands move. He moved his hand up the back of her shirt and felt her bare skin underneath. Hot and soft to the touch. She once again rocked her hips against him, pushing harder into the bulge against his pants. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Mike," Valerie moaned as he pulled her closer to him. He could feel her breasts pressing into his chest and felt her nipples had tightened even through her shirt and bra.

"Valerie, are you sure you're ok with doing this?" Mike asked gruffly. "Cause I gotta tell you, I don't think I can really hold this in much longer." Valerie didn't answer. She just pulled away from him and smiled softly; a slight twinkle in her eye. Mike wasn't sure if she was having misgivings or what until she slowly started unbuttoning her blouse. He just sat there and watched as she revealed more and more skin. Her bra was black lace and held up her breasts perfectly. Though that may have been because her breasts themselves were perfect.

"Only if you're sure you want to," Valerie said before leaning down to kiss him again and tossing her shirt on the floor. He groaned into her kiss and pushed his hips back into her letting her know that he was ok with this.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this out here," Mike said. "In case, you know, they come home."

"Then come with me," Valerie smiled getting up and holding out her hand. He took it and she led him to her room. She shut the door behind her and turned back to him to start taking off his shirt. He took off his shoes quickly, wanting to rid himself of his clothes that had become so constricting, and kissed her again. He turned her around and gently lay her down on the bed, planting soft kisses on her neck before trailing down her collarbone to the top of her bra. She groaned and arched her back in response. His hands roamed her body, loving the idea of exploring every inch of her. Her soft, beautiful skin growing warmer with each touch.

He moved back up to capture her lips in his again while his hands moved to undo her pants. She groaned into his kiss and arched her back while pulling him down on top of her making it harder for him to undo her pants. But he was now determined. She had pushed him past the point of no return. And seeing her still wrapped beautiful breasts so taught and ready for him like a present made it even worse. He finally got her pants undone and she wiggled herself out of them as he pulled them down. He pushed himself up a little to take a moment to look at her beneath him.

"Mike," she moaned looking at him desperately. Mike smiled as she wrapped her legs around him to pull him close to her. But he had to get out of his pants before he died from lack of circulation. He stood firmly and unbuttoned his pants before letting them drop the the floor. He leaned back on her bed and swallowed her lips in his again. His hands trailed all over her body, pulling the straps of her bra down before slipping his hand underneath her arched back. He'd never done this before, but he'd seen bras from the numerous times they'd dressed as girls and so knew how they worked. So he quickly unclasped her bra and then pushed himself up on the bed to take her bra off and look at her.

He'd never seen a woman in this state of undress before. There was a thin sheen of sweat already building all over her and her goosebumps that rose beneath his touch signaled her pure desire for him. They were both breathing heavily in anticipation of what they were about to do and he relished in watching her perfect, beautiful breasts rise and fall heavily with her excited breathing. But she couldn't wait. She couldn't let him have the time to admire her body beneath him.

"Mike!" she groaned desperately and wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer to her. She wrapped one leg around his waist and squeezed, pinning him to her body. He felt just how warm and damp her panties had become as she pushed into his own underwear. He suddenly felt like there was still way too much fabric between them. He pulled her hand away from him, releasing her grip on him and softly kissed her hands, trailing kisses all the way down her arm.

"Patience, Valerie," Mike whispered hoarsely. "I wanna savor this moment."

"Oh God," Valerie moaned desperately.

"I know," Mike said. "I don't want to rush this." Mike smiled as she groaned and closed her eyes, letting him explore her body with his lips and hands. He moved to kiss her collarbone before letting his kisses trail further south. He latched onto her breast, sucking her nipple tightly but carefully into his mouth, not wanting to hurt her. She gasped and arched her back further into him. His hands trailed down her hips and hooked under the elastic on her underwear. He slowly pulled down her underwear and she kicked them to the floor. He pulled back again to admire the beauty that was her entire naked body beneath him. She truly was beautiful and this seemed perfect. Mike leaned down to resume kissing her entire body.

While his lips tried to find every inch of her bare skin, his hands worked their way up and down her legs. Gently brushing her thighs and teasing her soft, warm skin. She was nearly writhing beneath him now, unable to hold out much longer. He obliged her and placed his hand gingerly between her legs. She was slick and warm and as soon as he touched her, she cried out in ecstasy and bucked into his hand.

"Oh God," she moaned as he slipped a finger inside her. He carefully worked her while sucking at the soft flesh of her neck enjoying the sound of her ecstasy and the feel of her body quivering beneath him. She moaned his name over and over again as he played with her, pushing her closer and closer to the edge. He wasn't sure what he was doing, only that she was enjoying it, so he continued. When his thumb brushed against the soft, sensitive nub, she moaned even more. So he placed his thumb over the soft spot and rubbed while moving his fingers swiftly in and out. She cried out, nearly screaming, his name and her entire body arched so much, she seemed to lift right off the bed.

"I love you," he whispered softly in her ear at the moment he felt her entire body quake. She fell limp beneath him and groaned softly. Mike moved to kiss her again and felt himself nearly ready to burst just from the thought of how happy he'd just made her.

"Mike," she whispered.

"Did you like that?" Mike smiled.

"You sure know what you're doing for someone who's never done this before," Valerie said.

"What can I say," Mike said kissing her softly. "I was just following your lead."

"You're a natural," Valerie laughed. "Now take those boxers off and take me."

"You sure?" Mike asked.

"Do I have to rip them off you?" Valerie asked.

"Wait, I don't have any umm…" Mike trailed off.

"It's ok," Valerie said impatiently. "I'm on the pill."

"I thought you said you were a virgin too?" Mike asked.

"I am, but I've kinda been dreaming about this moment for months so shut the fuck up and take the damn boxers off," Valerie said pulling him down to kiss her again. Mike laughed a little but stripped himself of his boxers. She let her hands roam his body before she gripped him tightly.

"Oh God," Mike moaned as she stroked him, getting him ready. Not that he really needed much help in that area. He was already rock solid. She wrapped her legs around him and guided him to her entrance. He wanted to push this out a little further, but she was obviously very impatient. It was both of their first times, so he hoped that as they progressed they could take the time to be tender and enjoy it more. For now, he was almost ready to explode and as he pushed himself inside her but he had to hold himself back because he didn't want to finish too early. He looked at her face and saw a flash of pain cross it and immediately freaked out.

"Are you ok?" Mike asked. "What did I do? I'm sorry."

"Shut up," Valerie moaned. "I told you, I'm a virgin. It's supposed to hurt a little. It's ok. Just give me a minute."

"Ok," Mike said slowly, scared that he really did hurt her. After a few seconds, the pain left her face and she smiled at him.

"Don't worry, Mike," Valerie smiled. "You're sweet for worrying, but I'm ok. It's natural for it to hurt a little the first time. It won't be like this every time."

"Tell me if I hurt you," Mike said. He pulled out slowly, just in case, and carefully pushed back in. This time her face was lined with ecstasy. Mike took this as the sign that she wasn't in pain anymore. He pulled back out and pushed back in, picking up the pace a little. He was close to popping again, now that he knew he wasn't hurting her. But he didn't want to finish too soon. He couldn't rush it this fast.

He remembered the soft spot between her legs and how happy she was when he kissed her neck, so as he pulled out he placed his fingers back on that soft spot and played with it more. She nearly screamed again and he saw her hands gripping the bedsheets. He leaned his head down to kiss her neck and she wrapped her arms around him. He could feel her breathing heavily in his ear, moaning his name as she was pushed close to the edge again. He felt her nails dig softly into his back, but he didn't mind so much.

She got louder and louder again as she was pushed toward the edge. She seemed to like it more the faster he went, so he picked up the pace and thrust into her feeling the pull at the back of his own loins. He was ready to explode and couldn't stop himself when he felt her tighten around him, almost pulling him deeper into her. He cried out in ecstasy himself as he exploded inside her. He sat there for a minute relishing the moment and looked down at her. She smiled at him, but he knew that she hadn't finished yet. He leaned down to kiss her and carefully pulled himself out from between her legs. He trailed kisses down her again, pausing to pay a little attention to her breasts, now shining with sweat.

"Mike?" she asked.

"You aren't done yet," Mike answered moving lower. He kissed her navel softly before getting on his knees on the floor. He kissed the inside of her thigh and she shivered at the sensation.

"Oh God," Valerie moaned enticing him to move closer to her soft, warm, slick center. He captured her in his mouth and slipped one finger back inside her and she cried out. Her whole body started shaking again as his tongue flicked and swirled around her. She tasted better than he expected. And the force of her bucking beneath him made him smile. She was loving this. After only a few minutes, she nearly lifted herself of the bed and screamed so loud he almost thought the neighbors could hear.

"You're gonna wake the dead," Mike said laughing as he curled up into the bed next to her. He pulled her close to him as she came down from her high. They moved up to the pillows and just held each other, happy. He never knew sex could bring such perfect bliss. Especially with such a perfect woman. Even this, just wrapping his arms around her, was perfect.

"I love you, Michael Nesmith," she whispered resting her head on his sweaty chest.

"I love you, too, Valerie Miller," Mike answered holding onto her tightly. He never wanted this moment to end. He wanted to stay there with her for the rest of his life. Never leaving her warm embrace.


	12. Sentencing

Author's Note: I really don't know much about how long someone gets sentenced for various crimes, especially in the 60s, so sorry if I'm off on this. I tried to research, but didn't find much. Thanks to BluCrayons for being an awesome beta!

Chapter 12: Sentencing

Micky and Ginny finally walked up the steps from the beach to Ginny's new house she shared with Valerie. Micky thought it was odd when he saw the Monkeemobile still parked in the driveway. Mike had taken it so that he and Valerie could go out that night after Micky insisted he and Ginny could just walk since the house wasn't far from the restaurant and their house wasn't far from the Pad. He glanced down at his watch and realized it was almost 3 in the morning, making it even more odd for the Monkeemobile to be in the driveway.

"Weird," Ginny said. "You think everything's ok?"

"I'm sure they're fine," Micky said. "Probably just a really long date."

"Micky, it's almost 3," Ginny said.

"I know," Micky said. "But come on, let's go check in the house." Ginny unlocked the door and the two of them walked in the house. Everything appeared to be in order at first, but then Ginny walked over to a shirt lying on the floor and picked it up. Micky recognized it as the one Valerie had been wearing earlier that day when they dropped Micky off. Micky smiled knowing what that meant. "I think they're fine."

"I think they're more than fine," Ginny laughed. "It's about freaking time. She's been bugging me for months now saying he kept pulling away whenever they got too close."

"I think we should leave them alone," Micky said. "I should head home, but I had a great time. More than great, really."

"You sure you don't wanna come upstairs with me?" Ginny said wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him closer to her. He felt his pants tighten a little, but knew he had to say no. At least for tonight.

"As enticing as that offer is," Micky smiled, "I think we should take it a little slower. I don't wanna take things too fast and hurt you."

"You're right," Ginny answered. Micky placed another soft kiss on her lips to let her know that he still cared for her and still wanted to be with her, despite denying her at that moment.

"Good night," Micky said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night," Ginny said smiling at him. He kissed her one more time before leaving. He was barely out the door when he heard Ginny behind him. "Micky, wait!"

"What's wrong?" Micky asked turning back to her.

"I just wanted to say...um…" Ginny started nervously. "I'm not really a girl who normally has sex on the first date. I just kinda got caught up in the moment. I…"

"It's fine," Micky smiled laughing a little. "I understand."

"I just didn't want you to think I was some sort of slut or something," Ginny said.

"I said it's fine," Micky smiled. "I know you're not. Get some sleep. You're tired. We both are. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok," Ginny said. "Good night."

"Good night," Micky smiled watching her walk back in her house. Micky walked back the entire way to his house smiling a little. He stopped when he thought he heard a little clicking noise, but didn't see anything, so he figured it was just his imagination. But he couldn't help the nagging feeling that he was being watched the entire way home. When he finally got home, he forgot all about it and realized how tired he was. He didn't even bother to change; he just lay down and passed out.

Once morning broke, he looked to see if Mike had come home, but Mike's bed lay empty and undisturbed. Micky smiled to himself knowing Mike deserved a night of fun. Micky yawned and crawled out of bed and walked toward his dresser to get dressed. When he opened his dresser, something seemed off. He couldn't really place it, but it seemed as though someone had gone through his drawer. He shrugged it off, however, too tired to really do much thinking on it. Once he was ready, he walked downstairs to find Davy and Peter sitting at the phone worriedly and whispering to each other.

"What's up, guys?" Micky asked. "Something wrong?"

"Mike never came home last night," Peter said. "We don't know whether we should call Valerie or not."

"Don't worry about it," Micky answered with a smile. "He and Valerie are both fine. He stayed at her place last night. He'll probably be home soon."

"What do you mean he stayed at her place?" Davy asked.

"Forget it," Micky said. "It's nothing. Just don't worry about him; he's fine. He'll probably be in a very good mood for a while though."

"Oh!" Peter exclaimed suddenly understanding, which was a little shocking to Micky. But then a second later, Davy got it, too.

"Oh," Davy said laughing a little.

"What about you and Ginny?" Peter asked. "You got home rather late."

"Yes, but that was because we got caught up talking," Micky answered pouring himself some coffee.

"Oh," Davy said. "So you like her? You had fun?"

"Yeah," Micky said with a smile. "We had a lot of fun. I really like her."

"That's great, Micky!" Peter exclaimed.

"I told you," Mike said from the doorway.

"Yes, ok, you were right," Micky said. "And you had fun last night? Since you're just now getting home?"

"I had a lot of fun, thank you," Mike said.

"Anything you wanna share with us, mate?" Davy asked with a smirk.

"No," Mike said firmly.

"Really, cause you just got home," Davy laughed. "You never get home after midnight from a date."

"Davy, leave it alone," Mike said. "I don't need to check in with you, do I?"

"Drop it, Davy," Micky said when Davy opened his mouth to retort. The rest of the day wore on about the same as always. Mike and Valerie went on a double date with Micky and Ginny, all of them enjoying each other's company. Mike had spent the next few nights with Valerie, but Micky still wanted to take things slow with Ginny. They spent quite a bit of time making out though. And Micky spent quite a bit of time taking showers afterwards.

A week after Sebastian was found guilty, the boys set to go to the sentencing hearing. They put on their best suits and drove to pick up the girls who'd worn long skirts and button up blouses. Ginny was going to read a statement to the judge before he passed sentence, and Micky could tell just by the way she looked when she sat next to him in the car that she was nervous and scared. The light in her eyes had gone. Micky pulled her close to him and tried to make her feel better.

"It's gonna be ok," Micky said. "All you gotta do is tell the judge how this impacted you. Nothing's gonna happen."

"What if he flips out again?" Ginny asked.

"He'll be in handcuffs," Mike said. "Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine. We'll be there to back you up."

"I'm not gonna let him lay a finger on you," Valerie said embracing Ginny from the other side. Micky felt Ginny relax a little, sandwiched between her best friend and boyfriend and they drove the rest of the short distance with her practicing her speech. When they pulled up to the courthouse, they took a collective deep breath before walking in. When they took their seats, Ginny's nerves rose again. She was breathing heavily and shaking, so Micky pulled her closer to him.

When they brought Sebastian in, he was chained and they even locked him to the table for extra measure. Micky did notice that Sebastian seemed a little more muscular, like he'd been working out, and it sent a shiver down his spine. But he supposed that Sebastian didn't even really have anything better to do than workout. Moments after Sebastian was brought in, the judge walked in and everyone in the courtroom rose before sitting back down.

"You have been found guilty on the following counts," the judge said looking at Sebastian. "Multiple counts of aggravated assault, domestic violence, and one count of attempted rape. At this time, I'm going to allow the victim to read a statement before I reach a decision." Ginny stood and shakily read her statement she'd prepared. She looked back at Valerie and Micky quickly a few times for support and they both nodded and smiled.

When she finished, Ginny sat down and Micky pulled her close to him again. Micky noticed Sebastian staring at them with jealousy in his eye and another shiver was sent down his spine. Micky also thought he saw Sebastian fidgeting with something, but looked at the shackles around his wrists chaining him to the table. That and the number of bailiffs in the courtroom would keep them protected. He had to tell himself that to relax the quiet feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him something bad was just about to happen.

"Thank you, Ma'am," the judge said. "At this time, I would like to give my ruling. Domestic violence and rape are two of the worst crimes that can be committed by any person. Unfortunately, these crimes are only becoming more and more frequent and more and more women are becoming too terrified to speak up about their attacks. While you were only charged with one count of attempted rape, I have no doubt that you brutalized this woman sexually on numerous other occasions. Though I cannot incarcerate you for that, it is on this belief joined with the heinousness of the crimes you were found guilty of, I choose to sentence you the maximum allowed by law. On the charge of attempted rape, the law allows me to sentence you to 5 years. On the charges of domestic violence and aggravated assault, the law allows me to sentence you to a maximum of 25 years for the numerous counts for which you were found guilty. These will be served consecutively; you are hereby sentenced to 30 years without the possibility of parole."

"Oh thank God," Ginny breathed relieved. Unfortunately, as soon as the guards went to unlock him from the table, he flipped again. He somehow unlocked himself from his chains and jumped up from the table reaching for the guards gun. Micky acted instinctively and grabbed Ginny and Valerie, pushing them down to the floor to protect them. Mike pushed Peter and Davy down at the same time just as Sebastian grabbed the gun around the waist of the guard and fired off a few shots. Micky pushed Ginny's head down, trying to keep her as flat as possible, hoping to keep her from getting shot.

Micky lifted up his head as he heard someone fall to the ground and saw one of the guards lying down, blood pooling underneath his body. Before he could react, Sebastian was hovering above them and reaching down for them. Valerie pushed Micky off her allowing Micky to pull Ginny away from Sebastian, but unfortunately it allowed Sebastian to grab her instead. Micky pulled Ginny closer to the wall as she tried to fight to help Valerie, but he couldn't let her. Sebastian had already pulled Valerie into a grip and had pushed the gun into her head.

"Give me my girl," Sebastian barked.

"Put down the gun," one of the bailiffs barked pointing another gun at him, but he couldn't shoot; Sebastian was using Valerie as a shield. In an instant, he turned the gun on the only other bailiff and dropped him in a second. The judge and everyone else dropped to the floor, but the judge had pressed an alarm, alerting other authorities of the situation. Micky hoped that the police would be here soon to help them. In the meantime, they just had to stall.

"Think about what you're doing, Sebastian," Micky said. "You just got sentenced to 30 years. This is gonna get you sent away for a lot longer. You would have been able to get out before. As an old man, sure, but you weren't gonna spend the rest of your life in jail. You kill her and you'll be sent away for the rest of your life. I know you're not that stupid."

"I ain't going nowhere," Sebastian barked. "Don't think I won't put a bullet in this fucking bitch's head. Now give me my girl."

"She's not your girl, bastard," Valerie sneered.

"Valerie, don't antagonize him," Mike said. "Please."

"I don't plan to," Valerie said. "What I do plan is this…" Valerie bit down on his arm, elbowed him hard in the gut and kicked her leg back with perfect aim making contact with his groin. Her heel dug in and she twisted as she freed herself from his grasp, but in his anger, he still had the sense to point his gun at her. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Valerie had barely gotten away from him, but was still close enough for him to hurt her. He pointed the gun in her direction and though he was in too much pain to even aim, he still shot. 2 shots.

"No!" Ginny screamed. Micky didn't have time to think about what he was going to do. He leapt forward and tackled Sebastian to the ground. Davy and Peter rushed over to help pin him down after Davy kicked the gun far out of Sebastian's reach. Mike and Ginny rushed over to help Valerie once they were sure that Sebastian was fully incapacitated. Micky glanced over and saw Valerie lying on the ground, eyes closed and blood pooling around her. Mike and Ginny looked terrified as they knelt next to her trying to stop the bleeding.


	13. Taking a Bullet

Author's Note: Thanks, as always, to the beautiful, hot (not hot mess) BluCrayons! love ya!

Chapter 13: Taking a Bullet

"Valerie," Mike sobbed. "No, no, no. This isn't happening. This can't be happening." Peter desperately wanted to help console his best friend, but he was afraid if he got up, Sebastian would get up and start hurting them all again. Sebastian was fighting beneath him, Micky and Davy and they were barely able to keep him pinned to the ground as it was. They didn't have to wait long for help, however. Within moments of the attack, the doors flew open and a slew of people rushed in. Two of which were the initial detectives who arrested Sebastian, Detectives Kenda and Epps. As the men flooded into the room, Detective Kenda barked out orders and raced for Valerie.

"Epps, cuff him and get him out of here," Detective Kenda said. "You two, go check on the guards. What the hell happened here, Mr. Nesmith?"

"He shot her," Mike said hoarsely. Detective Epps took Sebastian and put him in restraints again with the help of other officers and Micky, Davy and Peter could finally get up. As they hauled him up, Sebastian looked squarely at Micky.

"You took her from me," he sneered. "I will kill you."

"You're gonna rot in prison for the rest of your life," Micky snapped back as they dragged Sebastian kicking and screaming from the room.

"How long until the medics get here?" Kenda asked one of the other officers as he kneeled down next to Valerie.

"They should be here soon," he answered. Kenda took off his jacket and pushed it into the wound on Valerie's shoulder to try and stop the blood flow.

"How are they?" Kenda asked looking at the guards.

"They're gone, sir," another officer answered.

"Damn," Kenda said.

"You can't let her die," Ginny sobbed. "Please."

"An ambulance is already on it's way," Kenda said. As soon as he said it, medics swarmed into the room and tried to shoo Mike and Ginny away from Valerie.

"You have to let them work," Micky said walking over to Ginny to try and pull her away.

"You get away from me!" Ginny snapped turning and punching Micky in the shoulder. "Don't touch me! You told me everything was going to be ok! You promised me! How is this ok?!"

"Don't yell at him," Davy started but Micky cut him off.

"Davy, don't," Micky said. Peter knew that Ginny didn't mean any of what she was saying. She needed someone to lash out at. And Micky was the closest. He was just glad Micky knew it, too, and didn't seem to be taking her anger personally. Peter pulled Mike away a little more easily and the medics began working to help Valerie. When they put her on the stretcher and started moving her out of the room, Ginny tried to follow.

"I'm sorry, miss, but you can't come with," one of the medics said.

"Fuck you!" Ginny snapped. "I'm not leaving her!"

"Ginny," Peter tried. "It's ok. They're gonna help her. We'll follow them to the hospital. We'll be there. They're gonna have to operate anyway."

"Let's go," Micky said.

"We need your statements," one of the officers said trying to stop Micky and the others from following Valerie out of the room.

"You want a statement?" Micky snapped. "That fucker got loose on your watch, grabbed one of your men's guns and shot up the place. That's what fucking happened. Now how about you figure out how the fuck that even happened! In the mean time, we're going with her!" Without another word, Micky pushed past the officer and raced out of the room. Ginny and Mike didn't hesitate to follow him, but Davy and Peter were scared for a moment. Micky had never spoken to anyone like that, let alone an officer.

"I'll take their statements at the hospital," Kenda said. "Let them go." With that, Davy and Peter dashed out of the room after their friends. Hoping that Valerie was going to be ok. Once they were at the hospital, the doctors wouldn't let them go anywhere. They had to wait in the waiting room for any word on their friend. Mike looked stunned, almost too in shock to really feel anything. But his eyes were red from the threat of the tears he'd fought back. Peter wanted to do something to help him, but he didn't know what. Ginny was sobbing and leaning against Davy who held her close and tight. Micky paced, his fists clenched angrily. It seemed like hours with nothing happening until Detectives Epps and Kenda walked into the waiting room.

"Have you heard anything?" Detective Epps asked.

"No," Micky answered angrily. "We aren't family…"

"I'll talk to them," Detective Kenda said walking over to a staff member.

"Did you figure out what happened?" Davy asked. "How he got out?"

"Not yet," Detective Epps answered. "But we think he bought a handcuff key from someone. I know this is a hard time for you all right now, but we need to ask you what happened."

"We don't really know," Davy answered. "It all happened so fast."

"He was fidgeting with something," Micky said. "When the judge sentenced him. I saw him fidgeting. I felt something was wrong…"

"He just snapped," Peter said looking oddly at Micky. Now he was worried. He thought that Micky hadn't taken what Ginny had said personally, but he'd been so angry ever since she snapped at him. And now he seemed to be blaming himself for what happened. Even though there was no possible way Micky could have known what would happen or even stop it. "He grabbed the guards gun and just started shooting. Mike and Micky pushed us to the ground, but Sebastian came after us. I don't know how, but somehow he got ahold of Valerie. Threatened to shoot her if he didn't get Ginny. Valerie fought him back, but he still shot her. Micky tackled him and Davy kicked the gun out of his hand and we pinned him till you got there."

"She pushed me out of the way," Ginny said softly wiping tears from her eyes. "Sebastian was reaching for me. She pushed me out of his reach so he grabbed her. She did that for me…"

"She'd do it again in an instant," Mike said. "She'd do it for any of us."

"Tell me he'll be punished for this," Micky said.

"He's being charged with murder and attempted murder," Detective Epps said. "The two guards he shot didn't make it. And there's no way he can fight it this time. Everyone saw him do it, including the judge. He'll never see the light of day again."

"What about contacts on the outside?" Peter asked.

"What do you mean?" Epps asked.

"He threatened to kill Micky," Davy answered. "And I doubt he'll stop there. He'll probably try and hire someone to finish. Kill Ginny."

"We won't let that happen," Epps said. "He'll be put in a maximum security facility for this little stunt. And solitary. He won't have any outside contact for a long time. And he has no money to hire anyone. His father cut him off."

"He knows Mason," Ginny said. "He wouldn't have to hire Mason."

"Who?" Epps asked.

"Mason Redding," Mike answered. "He tried to rape Valerie in high school. Sebastian threatened Ginny to tell Mason where Valerie was if she betrayed him."

"We don't really know if he was telling the truth though," Micky said.

"I'll look into it," Epps answered.

"She's still in surgery," Detective Kenda informed them coming back. "But it looks as though she got nicked on the arm and another bullet tore clean through her shoulder. Which means she'll be fine. No major organs were damaged. She just won't be able to move her shoulder for a while and they have to pull the bullet out. Once she's out of surgery, I persuaded them to at least let you see her."

"Thank you," Mike said. "She's really gonna be ok?"

"She's gonna be fine," Kenda smiled. Moments later, the doctor came out and told them they could go in Valerie's room and visit with her for a while. They wanted to keep her under anesthesia for a while, but she'd wake up in a few hours. So they waited around her for hours, all silent and worried. Detective Kenda said she'd be fine, but there was something about seeing her hooked up to all those machines and paler than normal that made them all uneasy. When she finally woke up, Mike and Ginny jumped up to be by her side. She seemed a little confused at first and was still very groggy. Davy poked his head out of the room to alert the nurses she was awake.

"Where am I?" Valerie asked. Her voice sounded hoarse and pained. "What happened?"

"Shh," Mike said. "You just came out of surgery. You're in the hospital."

"What?" Valerie asked. "Why?"

"You got shot," Ginny said. "Don't you remember?"

"Vaguely," Valerie said.

"Just relax," Mike said as the doctor came in.

"How are you feeling, Miss Miller?" he asked checking the machines hooked to her.

"I'm fine," Valerie answered. "Just a little tired."

"That's because of all the medications we have you on," the doctor answered. "Don't worry about that too much. You'll be sleeping a lot over the next few days."

"You say that as if you think I'll be here for a few days," Valerie said.

"You'll be here at least a week, Miss Miller," he answered.

"Like hell I will," she answered back.

"Shut up, Valerie," Ginny said. "I know you hate hospitals, but you were shot. A bullet went into your fucking shoulder. You're staying."

"Ginny, I'm fine," Valerie argued.

"Only because of all the medications they've got you on, sweetie," Mike said. "I'm with Ginny. You're staying here."

"You guys are worried over nothing," Valerie said trying to move her arm unsuccessfully as it was in a tight sling.

"Don't do that," Mike said.

"Did you not hear what we just said?" Ginny asked. "You were shot in the shoulder! You can't move your arm. They have it stabilized for a reason."

"I really don't want all this fuss," Valerie said stubbornly. "I just want to go home. Sleep in my own bed."

"Valerie Lea Miller!" Ginny said scoldingly as Valerie squirmed around, obviously trying to unhook herself and get out of the bed. "Knock it off! I swear to God if you even so much as get out of this bed to take a fucking piss without the nurses permission, I will duct tape your ass to the bed!"

"Ginny…" Valerie started.

"You think I'm joking?!" Ginny continued sounding shrill. It was either the worry and fear in Ginny's voice or the drugs or some sort of combination, but Valerie finally stopped squirming.

"How long have you all been here?" Valerie asked.

"Several hours," Peter answered.

"Several?" Valerie asked.

"Around 7 or so," Davy answered. "We've really been worried sick about you."

"Fine," Valerie said with a sigh. "I'll stay but you have to promise me to go home and sleep. And stop worrying about me."

"I can't leave you," Ginny muttered.

"They aren't gonna let you stay anyway," Valerie said. "Visiting hours."

"There's a waiting room," Mike said.

"Don't you dare," Valerie said. "I am not gonna sit in this hell hole and be a good girl if I know you two are getting terrible sleep in those awful chairs, if you're getting any sleep at all. Go home. Please. You don't, I will."

"Fine," Micky said.

"I don't want to leave," Ginny said.

"Yes, but I think it may be the only way we'll get her to stay," Micky said.

"Fine," Ginny sighed finally agreeing to leave. She leaned over and placed a kiss on her friend's forehead. "Just promise me you'll get better. You're the best friend I have. I love you."

"I love you, too," Valerie smiled. "Now please go home."

"I'll be back first thing in the morning," Ginny said. The rest of them said their own good-byes before they all left, Mike taking special time to give her a soft kiss. The nurse told them what time visiting hours would begin the next morning. When they got into the car, Peter drove toward Ginny and Valerie's house.

"I'll take you home," Peter said trying to offer a smile to Ginny.

"I really don't want to be alone right now," Ginny said.

"You'll be fine," Davy said. "No one's gonna hurt you. That detective said he'd make sure no one is gonna come after you anymore."

"It's not that…" Ginny started.

"It's fine," Mike said. "You can stay with us tonight. Peter, drive home."

"Sure thing," Peter said and drove the rest of the way back to the Pad. Once they got back to the house, Mike and Micky offered their room to her since it was cleaner and easier for them to move stuff downstairs. They both went upstairs to clean out their bedroom and get it ready for her. Everyone just assumed she'd be staying with them the entire time Valerie was in the hospital and not just tonight.

* * *

"Micky can I talk to you?" Ginny said knocking on the door to Mike and Micky's room.

"Sure," Micky said.

"I'll be downstairs," Mike said grabbing his stuff and leaving them alone.

"I...I wanted to apologize," Ginny said.

"For what?" Micky asked as he continued to make up the bed for her.

"For what I did…" Ginny started, "at...at the courthouse. What I said. What I did. I'm sorry."

"Ginny, it's nothing," Micky said turning to look at her. Her eyes were red and puffy and her make-up was smeared all over her face from her tears. "You were upset. You were scared. You needed someone to lash out at. I get it."

"It shouldn't have been you," Ginny said.

"Actually, it was best that it was me," Micky said walking over and taking her hands in his to guide her over to the bed. "I can take it. I understood why you did it. It's fine."

"You're not mad?" Ginny asked softly. "Cause it seems like you are. And what you said at the hospital about feeling something was wrong…"

"Yes, I'm mad," Micky said softly tucking her hair behind her ear and trying to wipe away some more tears. He offered a small smile in the hopes that it would reassure her some. "But not at you. There's no reason for me to be mad at you. I'm mad at him. I'm mad that he made you that upset and pushed you to the point you needed to lash out in the first place. I'm mad that I didn't protect both you and Valerie. I'm mad this all happened. And yes, I keep thinking that maybe if I'd said something…"

"If you'd said something nothing would have changed," Ginny said. "The guards still would have gone over to check on him and he still would have grabbed their guns. It just would have happened sooner. This isn't your fault, Micky. There's nothing you could have done."

"No one knows that for sure," Micky said.

"Ok, now it's my turn to shut you up," Ginny smiled just before leaning in to kiss him. Micky felt the kiss warm him. It was weird to think of it that way, but it really did set his mind at ease. He hadn't been mad at Ginny for what she'd done, but when he'd seen just how upset she was, something in him snapped. The moment she had hit him and told him not to touch her, he wanted to kill someone for the first time in his life. And he probably would have if the cops hadn't dragged the source of all the drama away.

He melted into the kiss and kissed her back. He reached his hand up and held the back of her head, pulling her ever closer to him, before carefully leaning her back on the bed so he could lie on top of her. She groaned beneath him as their hips met and he felt her starting to unbutton her shirt. He groaned into it and felt his pants tighten as he realized what she wanted from him. Then he really realized it.

"No," Micky said pulling away and closing her shirt back up quickly.

"What?" Ginny said.

"I can't...not that I don't want to," Micky started. "Cause I really, really do. But...you're upset. I can't. Not right now."

"Micky…" Ginny tried arguing, but Micky cut her off.

"No," Micky said sitting up. "You're vulnerable and you're upset. I can't take advantage of you like this. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Ginny said. "You're right. God, you must think I'm such a slut."

"Stop that," Micky said. "I don't think that at all. You've been through a lot. I don't expect anyone to be normal and ok after all that."

"Will you at least stay with me?" Ginny asked looking at him with her beautiful green eyes that had once been so full of life. Once again they were full of pain and despair. And his heart broke into a million pieces. He kicked his shoes off before wrapping his arms around her and pulled her close to him on the bed.

"I'm not going anywhere," Micky said kissing the back of her head softly as they drifted off to sleep.


	14. Numb

Author's Note: Thanks, as always, to the beautiful, talented and loving beta and friend, BluCrayons. You're amazing! Couldn't do this without you! And not just because you thought up the plot.

Chapter 14: Numb

"You ok, Mike?" Peter asked as Mike descended the stairs.

"Fine," Mike answered lazily. He felt numb. He felt like everything was happening around him and he wasn't part of it.

"Are they ok?" Peter asked indicating Micky and Ginny.

"Yeah, I think so," Mike said. "They just need time to figure it out."

"Are you going to come to bed?" Davy asked.

"In a bit," Mike answered. "I think I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Ok," Peter said eyeing him cautiously. Mike wasn't sure what to say. He knew his friends were worried about him, but he wasn't even sure it was warranted. He didn't exactly have much time to reflect on anything that had happened. It wasn't until he was alone and not surrounded by chaos that he was able to start feeling. And it washed over him with overwhelming force.

He felt like he was reliving everything. He heard the gunshots rip through his ears. He felt the fear grip him again as it had in the courtroom. He rarely ever cried, but he couldn't stop it now. His tears mixed with the water from the shower head hitting his face. He couldn't erase the image of Valerie lying on the floor in a puddle of her own blood, no matter how hard he tried to forget about it. He could see just how red the blood was. And how dark.

He stood there until the water turned too cold to tolerate anymore before getting out. Yet he didn't really feel any better. If anything, the silence made things worse. He could hear the startled gasps of his friends ringing in his head; the shuffling of feet from people trying to get away. He heard it as clear as if were happening again right in front of him. Micky pushing Valerie and Ginny down to the ground with a thud. The movement of the chairs and tables as Sebastian climbed his way to them. Everything replayed in his mind.

He snapped when he heard the gunshots rebound through his head again. Before he even realized what he was doing, he reached out and punched his fist in front of him. The mirror he hadn't even realized he'd been facing shattered into a million pieces that cascaded onto the floor and into the sink. But he didn't do anything about it. He felt numb again. So he just stood there. He didn't even hear Peter knocking softly on the door or open it. He didn't hear Peter calling out his name until he felt Peter place a hand on his shoulder.

"Mike?" Peter asked. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Mike answered. It seemed unconvincing even to him.

"You're bleeding," Peter argued.

"I'm fine," Mike answered, again very unconvincingly. He had gone back to feeling numb. Peter sighed and took Mike's hand and pushed it under the sink. Mike watched his blood drip onto the shards of glass collected there and thought of Valerie's blood. His somehow looked different.

"Mike, come on," Peter said taking Mike by the arm and leading him out into the kitchen.

"Peter, I'm fine," Mike said.

"Sit down," Peter said gently and pushed Mike into the chair in the dining room. Mike waited for Peter to come back with the first aid kit they kept under the sink. Peter didn't say anything; he just set to work in silence. The silence itself was almost accusatory. But maybe that's how Mike was seeing it. Peter carefully pulled Mike's hand close to him and grabbed the tweezer to pull out the small pieces of glass embedded in his hand. Mike didn't feel anything; no pain, no anguish. He just sat there while Peter pulled glass from his hand carefully and diligently.

He hated feeling numb. It was almost worse than feeling the pain. He wondered why he couldn't allow himself to feel anything in front of his friends when they were so willing to help him without judging him. That's what the silence was. Peter wasn't judging him for what he'd done; he wasn't disappointed and he wasn't going to push Mike to talk about why he'd done it. He was just there for him. Like Micky had been for Valerie.

"It should have been me," Mike said without thinking.

"What?" Peter asked setting the tweezers down after pulling the last bit of glass from Mike's hand.

"I didn't do anything," Mike said.

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked.

"I didn't do anything," Mike repeated unable to say anything else.

"Mike, that's crazy," Peter said desperately. "Of course you did. You saved me and Davy. I didn't even see what was happening. I didn't know what had happened until you had me pushed to the ground. How can you think you didn't do anything?"

"I didn't help her," Mike said softly. "I didn't do anything for her."

"You weren't close enough," Peter said.

"Micky helped her," Mike said. "But she still got shot."

"It's not his fault," Peter said a little coldly. His tone was enough to snap Mike out of the daze surrounding him a little.

"I didn't mean that," Mike said quickly. "Of course I don't blame him. But…"

"You think you should have been the one to save her?" Peter asked. "How could you have? You were too far away."

"I should have been closer," Mike said.

"Ok, let me ask you something," Peter said. "How would that have changed anything? Maybe you were sitting next to Valerie. Maybe that would have put you too far away to do anything for me and Davy. Maybe we got shot instead. Or maybe it didn't change anything. You and Micky switched places. Valerie still would have pushed you out of the way to save Ginny. And she still would have gotten shot. So how does that change anything? Why does it matter who did what?"

"I love her, Peter," Mike said.

"I know that," Peter answered. "We all know that. That doesn't answer my question, though."

"I don't know, Peter," Mike sighed. "I really don't know. I just know that the love of my life was shot in front of me and nearly died and I didn't do anything to stop it."

"I know it's hard, Mike," Peter said pulling Mike close to him in a warm embrace, "but you have to remember she's gonna be ok. It doesn't matter who helped her, just that she's gonna be ok. She took those bullets for Ginny. And for us, in a way. And when everything was done, you were there by her side trying to stop the bleeding. Trying to save her. She knows that. And when she comes home, she's gonna need your help cause I have a feeling she's gonna be stubborn and not let anyone help her."

"Probably not," Mike agreed.

"Let's wrap up your hand and get to bed," Peter smiled. Mike nodded and smiled back. He let Peter's words touch him. Peter was right. Mike had to focus on the fact that Valerie was going to be ok and that she needed him now more than ever.

* * *

Over the next week, the boys and Ginny visited Valerie in the hospital every day for as long as they could before the doctors threw them out. Valerie was pretty out of it most days; the drugs were really doing a number on her. Mike was worried about her, but the doctors said it was normal. She'd been given a lot of high dose pain killers and they were bound to make her a little "loopy", as Davy put it.

Mike had spoken to the doctor about what they would have to do once Valerie was discharged and whether or not she'd regain full movement in her shoulder. The doctor had said there was a small chance she wouldn't, but it was very small. If she did the physical therapy and rested as much as she could, she should be back behind the drums within a few months.

Mike had also asked when the doctor would be willing to discharge her. Valerie was getting a little antsy and it was getting harder and harder to get her to even stay in the hospital. When the doctor said she could go home by the weekend, Mike tried to convince him not to tell her that; to tell her that she could go home the following week. That way she would think she was going home early and wouldn't throw that much of a fit to try and go home.

When the weekend finally came, Mike was a little nervous. He was worried that they wouldn't be able to take care of Valerie the way she needed and he was worried that she would find out that he'd had the doctor lie to her. He didn't want her to get mad at him. He hated having the doctor do that, but he knew how much she hated being in hospitals and knew this was the only way to keep her from getting worked up trying to yell at everyone to go home.

"Morning," Valerie smiled when they walked into the room that weekend.

"Morning," Mike said leaning over and kissing her quickly. The boys followed him inside and took their usual seats along with Ginny. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm absolutely great," Valerie said slightly bitingly. "Can I go home?"

"That's not really up to us," Peter laughed knowing she'd asked this question every day.

"I talked to the doctor, though," Mike said. "And he is doing one last round of tests."

"Really?" Valerie asked perking up and ready to pull her IV out right then and there. Mike thrust out his hand to cover the needle gently and keep it safely in her arm.

"Yes, and he said if you pass your tests, you can go home," Mike said. "Well, sorta. That is if you pass."

"What do you mean sorta?" Valerie asked.

"Well, you're going to need someone to take care of you," Mike said. "You're not going to be up to full strength."

"I really just want to go home, Mike," Valerie snipped. "I'm tired. I want my own bed. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself."

"I know you can," Mike said. "And no one's doubting that. It's just...stay with us. Let us look after you. Stay with me."

"Why can't you stay with me?" Valerie asked.

"Because if we go back to your home, you're gonna wanna do things around the house," Mike sighed getting slightly annoyed. "Cook, clean, all that. And we can't have that. You need your rest."

"And what makes you think I won't wanna do that at your house?" Valerie asked.

"You can try," Mike said. "But you're going to have a lot of us stopping you. I really have no qualms about tying you to the bed."

"Isn't that a little kinky?" Valerie asked laughing. Mike couldn't help but chuckle himself. He hadn't thought of it like that until she said something.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Micky exclaimed holding his hands over Peter's ears. "There are innocent little ears in here! Watch it!"

"Sorry, Peter," Valerie laughed.

"I'm not a child," Peter laughed pushing Micky's hands off his ears. They laughed for a while longer, waiting for the results of Valerie's tests to come back. The doctor explained that he was looking for any signs of infection in her blood work and checking to see how the wound was healing. There was significant muscle damage and some minor nerve damage and the doctor wanted to check the feeling in her fingers to make sure the nerves were healing. Once everything was cleared, the doctor said he'd finally let her go home. Valerie didn't need to be told twice.

"Ok, everyone out so I can change," Valerie said after bugging the nurse to take her IV out by threatening to do it herself.

"Relax," Mike said. "The doctor only just left to finish your paperwork."

"So?" Valerie asked moving to jump outta bed. "No reason I can't be ready to leave when he is."

"Ok, fine," Mike relented when he saw her wince a little reaching for the bag they'd brought that had a change of clothes for her. "But you have to at least let either me or Ginny help you change. Your shoulder is still weak."

"Fine," Valerie sighed. "You can help me. But everyone else out. Shoo!"

"We're leaving!" Micky laughed grabbing Peter and Davy and shooing them out. Ginny just shook her head a little and laughed at her friend. Valerie shot her a look, but smiled anyway. Once Mike had helped her change, Valerie marched out of the room to look for the doctor and demand her discharge paperwork. Mike was glad she was finally coming home, but the fear still lingered that he wouldn't be able to help her the way he needed. And that she wouldn't let him.


	15. Alone Time

Author's Note: Thanks, as always, to BluCrayons. Sorry for the delay. Had a little writers block, but I think I'm ok now.

Chapter 15: Alone Time

Micky and the others took Valerie home and took care of her over the next few weeks. She tried her very best to take care of herself, but the boys did their very best to stop her and make her rest. Mike made sure her bandages were cleaned and changed regularly and that she took her medications as well as doing her exercises. The district attorney convinced Sebastian to plead guilty. Micky was grateful for that because he didn't want the girls to be dragged through another trial. Especially with the guilt Ginny felt.

She never really talked about it, but Micky could see it. He wanted to help her, but he didn't really know what to say. So he decided instead to try and cheer her up; take her mind off things. He set about planning the perfect date night about a month after Valerie was discharged from the hospital. He asked Mike to take Valerie out to the movies and dinner after her physical therapy that day and asked Peter and Davy to do whatever they wanted, so long as they came home late. Micky knew Ginny wanted some alone time with him, though he wasn't quite sure how far he was going to go with her. He still didn't want to push or take advantage of her in any way.

That morning, Micky noticed that one of his favorite shirts was missing. He asked the others if they'd seen it, but they insisted they hadn't. Micky guessed he must have lost it in the laundry or something and just ignored it moving on with his plans for the day. Everyone had breakfast together that morning, chatting about anything and everything that popped into their heads and Micky helped Mike clear the dishes when breakfast was over. They watched a few movies on TV as a group before lunch and then Micky waited for Mike to help Valerie out to the car for her physical therapy. Peter and Davy left, not saying where they were going, leaving Micky finally alone with Ginny.

Micky spent most of the day curling up in front of the TV with Ginny, rubbing her shoulders and just enjoying the warmth of her body next to him. He couldn't cook that well, so he ordered delivery and set up a candlelight dinner on the back porch overlooking the ocean. Ginny really seemed to be enjoying herself and even smiled through most of the dinner; something she hadn't done in a while. She smiled, sure, but it never made her eyes sparkle like they were now. Micky was happy with himself.

"That was delicious," Ginny smiled as they walked back in the house with the dirty plates.

"I'm a good food orderer," Micky laughed. Ginny threw her head back and laughed as she sat on the couch after putting the paper plates in the trash.

"So, Mr. Orderer, did you get any dessert?" she asked motioning for him to come sit with her.

"Maybe," Micky said slyly sitting on the couch and pulling her into a deep kiss. She moaned against his lips sending a shiver down his spine and tightening his pants.

"Are you going to say no again, Micky?" Ginny asked pointedly.

"All I'm gonna ask is if you're absolutely sure you're ready to do this," Micky answered. "I can't hurt you. I can't push you into doing something you're not ready for just for the sake of doing it."

"I'm ready," Ginny said. "I feel safe with you. I feel something with you that I've never felt before. I want to be with you."

"Are you sure?" Mick asked again before she leaned in to kiss him again.

"I'm sure," Ginny said. "I want to be with you so bad, it hurts not to touch you."

"Ok," Micky smiled and stood up while holding his hand out to lead her upstairs to the room she was sharing with Valerie since the boys had all moved downstairs. Once they were upstairs, Micky shut the door behind him and turned to see Ginny was already taking her clothes off. His heart nearly stopped when her blouse hit the floor. She was wearing a deep red lace bra holding up two perfectly round breasts. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him hungrily; something he couldn't refuse anymore. He was still terrified this was too soon, but he couldn't hold himself back anymore.

He leaned her against the bed and lightly sucked the skin on her neck. She moaned beneath him and started breathing heavily. She breathed his name into his ear over and over again, setting him off further. His pants became way too constricting, way too fast. But he had to pace himself. They waited too long for this to rush it and fumble now. He focused on what he was doing, instead.

He traced his hands up and down her body, feeling every inch of her he possibly could. He paused when he reached the top of her skirt and slowly moved it down her legs. While he did, he slowly trailed kisses down her body, too. He used his mouth to move her bra straps off her shoulders and then traced the outline of her bra over her breasts with his tongue. This seemed to set her off, and she started moaning a little louder. She arched her body into him, letting him get even closer to her.

Once her skirt was on the floor, Micky moved her all the way up on the bed, letting her head rest against the pillow. He captured her mouth in his again and their tongues danced harmoniously. She wrapped her arms around him and tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him as close to her as possible. Her body felt so much warmer now than it had all night. She lifted up her back as he moved his hands underneath her in order to unclasp her bra. When it unhooked in his fingers, he quickly took it off and paused to admire her perfect, perky breasts.

When she moaned out his name again and unbuttoned his pants, he leaned down and kissed her ample bosom before gently sucking her nipple into his mouth. He allowed her to slide his pants off with her toes, something he didn't expect her to be able to do, as he swirled his tongue around, dancing happily over her beautiful body. She arched her back even further into him when his fingers slipped under her panties and danced at her entrance, teasing her. She whimpered and wiggled under him trying to get his fingers to slip inside her, unable to take his taunting.

"Now, now," Micky breathed heavily. "Patience, my dear. It'll be worth it."

"Stop teasing me, Micky," she begged. "I need to feel you. It hurts."

"I know," Micky whispered softly into her ear. "This will be worth it. I promise." Micky teased her for only a little more before dipping his fingers into the slick opening between her legs. She was incredibly wet and slippery and he enjoyed hearing her groan and gasp beneath him. He played with her, moving his fingers around expertly while placing soft kisses all over her bare skin. He smiled when he felt Ginny's hands grip the sheets tightly and started quivering beneath him.

"Micky," she groaned loudly as she exploded beneath him. Micky smiled and kissed her deeply.

"That was fast," Micky smiled.

"That's what happens when you've been wanting this for a long time," Ginny smiled back and pulled him down to kiss her again. She quickly discarded his underwear after taking hers off so they were both completely naked. Micky felt himself brush against her thigh softly and she groaned again, digging her nails into his back. She pushed him with just enough force to make him roll over onto his back so she could straddle him. Micky smiled up at her as he watched her beautiful breasts rise and fall with her labored breathing.

She sat there for a minute before leaning down to kiss him and letting her own hands trace his body. When she grasped him tightly, he gasped at the sudden wave of pleasure that shot through his whole body. She started working him expertly and as much as he wanted to keep eye contact with her, he couldn't. His eyes rolled up in his head and he arched his hips into her, making it easier for her to stroke him. After a few minutes of ministrations, she moved down and kissed his hips gingerly. He moaned as her lips soon found the core of his desire. She wrapped her mouth around him and started sucking gently. He couldn't help thrusting his hips up into slightly. He heard her grumble a little and pull away from him for a second. He sat up and looked at her, noticing she looked upset.

"What's the matter?" Micky asked softly.

"I'm sorry, I'll be ok," Ginny answered. "I just can't. Sebastion...he used to make me...Just give me a minute."

"Don't worry about it," Micky said. "You don't have to do that if you don't want to. We'll take it slow."

"I just can't do that," Ginny said. "Not now, anyway."

"Fine; I'm not going to ask anything of you that will make you feel uncomfortable in any way," Micky smiled and pulled her close to him for another kiss. After a second, she smiled into him and returned the kiss, telling him she was ok. He leaned her back on the bed and positioned himself on top of her. Before doing anything else, he looked down at her beautiful smile to make sure she was ok with finishing this at least. She nodded and moved her hand to grasp and guide him into her. Micky threw his head back a little as he filled her. She wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him closer and deeper into her, moaning his name. Micky almost couldn't take it. He hissed her name as he felt her hands roam up and down his back.

He leaned down to kiss her again as he began slowly rocking his hips on top of her. He felt the groan tremble in her lips with each thrust and her own hips soon matched his pace. Though it wasn't for very long. She soon started picking up the pace on her own, urging him to go faster. He complied, making her moans grow louder. Pretty soon he found himself unable to kiss her as his breathing became labored. He pulled away and gripped the railing tightly on the headboard as he felt them both come dangerously close to the edge. He didn't want this to end, but knew neither of them could do this all night. His friends would be home eventually and he really did not want to be interrupted either.

He quickened the pace again, urging them both to the end, though he wanted this to last much longer. He felt her tighten around him and every muscle in her body underneath him flexed. She bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming, though a mild squeal still escaped as she arched into him for one final thrust. Her falling over the edge pulled him down with her. He emptied himself inside her and stayed for just a few seconds before realizing his energy had been completely spent. He collapsed next to her on the bed and pulled her tightly to him. She smiled into his chest and kissed it softly.

"Thank you, Micky," she said. "That was amazing."

"Told you it'd be worth the wait," Micky smiled.

"I love you," Ginny said.

"What?" Micky asked looking down at her to try and gauge whether she meant it or if it was a heat of passion type thing.

"I'm sorry, I…" Ginny trailed off.

"Don't be sorry if you meant it," Micky said. "I just want to know…"

"I love you," Ginny said after a moment. "This is all moving so fast and I don't want to push you away…"

"Do you see me going anywhere?" Micky asked and kissed her again. "I love you, too. I can't explain it either and yes it's fast. But I've never felt like this around anyone before."

"You mean it?" Ginny smiled, blushing a little.

"I mean it," Micky said pulling her tightly to him and pulling the sheets up over them to cover them when Valerie got home; Micky didn't want to move so she'd just have to deal with him in Ginny's bed for the night. They lay there for quite some time, just listening to each other's breathing and heartbeats before finally succumbing to sleep.

Hours later, Micky woke up to a strange sound. He looked in the darkness and thought he saw movement, but in his arms Ginny groaned and pulled him tighter to her so he couldn't get up without waking her. Micky looked over at the other bed and saw Mike and Valerie passed out cold in the other bed, her head resting gently on his chest. Micky figured his mind was playing tricks on him and that he'd probably woken up a little when they came home. He shrugged it off and fell back asleep only to be woken up to an earth shattering scream hours later.

Micky bolted upright in the bed and saw that Mike and Valerie had jumped awake too. They exchanged a quick glance with each other before darting out of bed and running down the stairs toward the sound of the scream, Micky making sure to use the sheets to keep himself covered. At the bottom of the stairs, they nearly ran into Peter and Davy, but for the first time avoided colliding into each other. Micky jumped over the railing when he saw Ginny standing in the doorway to the downstairs bathroom with her robe on. When he saw the look of fright on her face, his heart nearly stopped.

He dashed over to her and pulled her close to him just as she collapsed on the ground and started sobbing. Mike and Valerie stopped for just a moment in shock wondering what had happened to make her scream the way she did. She didn't look injured and they didn't see anyone else around. Valerie then crept into the bathroom to see if there was something in there. Micky watched her face drain of color as she stared at the mirror.

"What?" Micky asked as Mike followed her in.

"The mirror," Mike said slowly as Valerie reached out to touch the mirror. "Valerie, don't touch it."

"What?!" Micky demanded. "What's wrong with the mirror?!"

"There's a message on it," Valerie said tentatively. "'Stay away from him, or else.' And a photo of you and Ginny...Ginny's face is scratched out."

"What?" Peter mumbled.

"How…" Davy trailed off.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him!" Valerie roared turning her fear into rage in an instant.

"You aren't gonna do anything," Mike said pulling her out of the bathroom.

"How the fuck did he even get in here!?" Valerie yelled. "We locked the doors!"

"He didn't," Peter said. "He's still in jail."

"So he asked one of his buddies to do this," Valerie said. Micky carefully rubbed Ginny's back and pulled her to him as tightly as he could. He could feel her trembling in his arms.

"How?" Davy asked also getting angry. "How did he do that when they're supposed to be watching him!?"

"I'll be sure to ask him that when I beat his face in," Valerie grumbled.

"Valerie, you're not going to do that," Mike said firmly. "There's no reason for you to end up in prison over this piece of shit."

"We can't just let him get away with this!" Valerie said starting to pace angrily.

"We aren't," Mike said. "Peter, Davy, you're going to come with me and check the house for possible ways of entry. Seal them all up. Including windows and vents. Anything someone can wiggle through. Valerie, you're going to call Detective Kenda. Tell him what happened and get him down here now. See if we can't figure out who's prints are in there...that's why you can't touch anything. We let them deal with it. Then get Micky some clothes."

"Ginny," Micky said softly. "Do you want to go get something to eat? Get out of here while they work?"

"No," Ginny said after a few minutes. She pulled away from Micky slightly and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Valerie's right. I can't let him win. I can't let him control me anymore."

"It's ok to be scared, Ginny," Mike said.

"I know," Ginny answered. "And I am. But that's what he wants."

"It's gonna be ok," Micky said as she lay her head back down on his shoulder. "I promise. I won't let him touch you. I won't let you out of my sight."


End file.
